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 Abbotsford (Vic.) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Abbotsford (Vic.) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Abbotsford (Vic.) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Yarra (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Abbotsford (Vic.), with comparison markers for Yarra (C).
English
2021 count
2,915
% of total
16.1%
Change from 2016
+1.5pp
2,915
16.1%
+1.5pp
Australian
2021 count
2,059
% of total
11.4%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
2,059
11.4%
+0.4pp
Irish
2021 count
1,394
% of total
7.7%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
1,394
7.7%
+0.6pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,031
% of total
5.7%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
1,031
5.7%
+0.7pp
Chinese
2021 count
833
% of total
4.6%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
833
4.6%
-0.5pp
Vietnamese
2021 count
421
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
421
2.3%
-0.4pp
Italian
2021 count
419
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
419
2.3%
+0.4pp
German
2021 count
366
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
366
2.0%
+0.2pp
Greek
2021 count
265
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
265
1.5%
-0.2pp
Indian
2021 count
212
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
212
1.2%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+527
+1.5pp
Australian
+268
+0.4pp
Irish
+228
+0.6pp
Scottish
+216
+0.7pp
Chinese
-4
-0.5pp
Vietnamese
-27
-0.4pp
Italian
+110
+0.4pp
German
+72
+0.2pp
Greek
-17
-0.2pp
Indian
+31
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Abbotsford (Vic.). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Yarra (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Yarra (C)% | Count | % | Yarra (C)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 2,915 | 16.1% | 16.9% | 2,388 | 14.6% | 15.9% | +527 | +1.5pp |
| Australian | 2,059 | 11.4% | 12.4% | 1,791 | 11.0% | 11.6% | +268 | +0.4pp |
| Irish | 1,394 | 7.7% | 7.9% | 1,166 | 7.1% | 7.5% | +228 | +0.6pp |
| Scottish | 1,031 | 5.7% | 6.0% | 815 | 5.0% | 5.4% | +216 | +0.7pp |
| Chinese | 833 | 4.6% | 3.1% | 837 | 5.1% | 3.1% | -4 | -0.5pp |
| Vietnamese | 421 | 2.3% | 1.7% | 448 | 2.7% | 1.9% | -27 | -0.4pp |
| Italian | 419 | 2.3% | 3.3% | 309 | 1.9% | 3.0% | +110 | +0.4pp |
| German | 366 | 2.0% | 2.1% | 294 | 1.8% | 2.0% | +72 | +0.2pp |
| Greek | 265 | 1.5% | 1.9% | 282 | 1.7% | 1.9% | -17 | -0.2pp |
| Indian | 212 | 1.2% | 0.8% | 181 | 1.1% | 0.7% | +31 | +0.1pp |
| Total | 18,114 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 16,313 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +1,801 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).