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 Yilgarn (S) were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Yilgarn (S) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Yilgarn (S) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional WA and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Yilgarn (S), with comparison markers for Regional WA.
English
2021 count
426
% of total
18.3%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
426
18.3%
-0.2pp
Australian
2021 count
367
% of total
15.8%
Change from 2016
-3.0pp
367
15.8%
-3.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
121
% of total
5.2%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
121
5.2%
+0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
103
% of total
4.4%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
103
4.4%
-0.3pp
Irish
2021 count
92
% of total
4.0%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
92
4.0%
-0.3pp
German
2021 count
48
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
48
2.1%
+0.3pp
Filipino
2021 count
40
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
40
1.7%
+0.9pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
27
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
+1.1pp
27
1.2%
+1.1pp
Maori
2021 count
18
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
18
0.8%
+0.3pp
Indian
2021 count
16
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
16
0.7%
+0.6pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
-14
-0.2pp
Australian
-82
-3.0pp
Scottish
+1
+0.2pp
Italian
-8
-0.3pp
Irish
-10
-0.3pp
German
+4
+0.3pp
Filipino
+21
+0.9pp
Australian Aboriginal
+24
+1.1pp
Maori
+6
+0.3pp
Indian
+13
+0.6pp
Data table
Ancestry for Yilgarn (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 | |
| English | 426 | 18.3% | 20.0% | 440 | 18.5% | 19.7% | -14 | -0.2pp |
| Australian | 367 | 15.8% | 18.2% | 449 | 18.8% | 19.9% | -82 | -3.0pp |
| Scottish | 121 | 5.2% | 4.5% | 120 | 5.0% | 4.4% | +1 | +0.2pp |
| Italian | 103 | 4.4% | 1.9% | 111 | 4.7% | 1.8% | -8 | -0.3pp |
| Irish | 92 | 4.0% | 4.3% | 102 | 4.3% | 4.3% | -10 | -0.3pp |
| German | 48 | 2.1% | 1.7% | 44 | 1.8% | 1.7% | +4 | +0.3pp |
| Filipino | 40 | 1.7% | 0.8% | 19 | 0.8% | 0.7% | +21 | +0.9pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 27 | 1.2% | 3.9% | 3 | 0.1% | 1.5% | +24 | +1.1pp |
| Maori | 18 | 0.8% | 0.6% | 12 | 0.5% | 0.6% | +6 | +0.3pp |
| Indian | 16 | 0.7% | 0.4% | 3 | 0.1% | 0.4% | +13 | +0.6pp |
| Total | 2,329 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2,382 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -53 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).