Cultural diversity
Ancestry
About this topic
Ancestry describes a person's cultural association and ethnic background, and Census respondents can report more than one ancestry. It is a broader cultural measure than country of birth because it can reflect family heritage across generations.
This topic helps show the size and diversity of cultural groups in an area, including groups whose members were born in Australia. Because multiple ancestries can be reported, ancestry totals can exceed the total population, so it is best read with birthplace, language used at home, and religion.
Interpretation notes
- People can report up to two ancestries, so category totals represent responses rather than a single unduplicated person count.
- ABS advises that ancestry is best used with birthplace and language, because ancestry alone is a broad measure of ethnicity and cultural background.
- The 2021 form added separate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mark boxes, so those categories need caution in over-time comparison.
Key insight
In 2021, the largest ancestry groups among residents in Wyndham-East Kimberley (S) were Australian Aboriginal, Australian and English.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Wyndham-East Kimberley (S) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Wyndham-East Kimberley (S) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional WA and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Wyndham-East Kimberley (S), with comparison markers for Regional WA.
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
2,358
% of total
15.8%
Change from 2016
+8.4pp
2,358
15.8%
+8.4pp
Australian
2021 count
1,835
% of total
12.3%
Change from 2016
-7.5pp
1,835
12.3%
-7.5pp
English
2021 count
1,813
% of total
12.2%
Change from 2016
-1.5pp
1,813
12.2%
-1.5pp
Irish
2021 count
491
% of total
3.3%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
491
3.3%
-0.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
441
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
441
3.0%
-0.3pp
German
2021 count
201
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
201
1.3%
-0.3pp
Italian
2021 count
145
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
145
1.0%
0.0pp
Dutch
2021 count
100
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
100
0.7%
+0.2pp
Chinese
2021 count
84
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
84
0.6%
0.0pp
Filipino
2021 count
61
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
61
0.4%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian Aboriginal
+1,306
+8.4pp
Australian
-991
-7.5pp
English
-139
-1.5pp
Irish
-42
-0.4pp
Scottish
-27
-0.3pp
German
-30
-0.3pp
Italian
+3
0.0pp
Dutch
+25
+0.2pp
Chinese
+4
0.0pp
Filipino
+17
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Wyndham-East Kimberley (S). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional WA.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional WA% | Count | % | Regional WA% | Count | pp | |
| Australian Aboriginal | 2,358 | 15.8% | 3.9% | 1,052 | 7.4% | 1.5% | +1,306 | +8.4pp |
| Australian | 1,835 | 12.3% | 18.2% | 2,826 | 19.8% | 19.9% | -991 | -7.5pp |
| English | 1,813 | 12.2% | 20.0% | 1,952 | 13.7% | 19.7% | -139 | -1.5pp |
| Irish | 491 | 3.3% | 4.3% | 533 | 3.7% | 4.3% | -42 | -0.4pp |
| Scottish | 441 | 3.0% | 4.5% | 468 | 3.3% | 4.4% | -27 | -0.3pp |
| German | 201 | 1.3% | 1.7% | 231 | 1.6% | 1.7% | -30 | -0.3pp |
| Italian | 145 | 1.0% | 1.9% | 142 | 1.0% | 1.8% | +3 | 0.0pp |
| Dutch | 100 | 0.7% | 1.0% | 75 | 0.5% | 0.9% | +25 | +0.2pp |
| Chinese | 84 | 0.6% | 0.4% | 80 | 0.6% | 0.4% | +4 | 0.0pp |
| Filipino | 61 | 0.4% | 0.8% | 44 | 0.3% | 0.7% | +17 | +0.1pp |
| Total | 14,903 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 14,240 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +663 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).