Canberra
Ancestry
The three largest ancestries in Canberra in 2021 were English, Australian and Irish.
Ancestry defines the cultural association and ethnic background of an individual going back three generations. Ancestry is a good measure of the total size of cultural groups in Canberra regardless of where they were born or what language they speak.
Ancestry data, should be combined with data on Birthplace, Language Spoken at Home and Religion for a more complete picture of Canberra's ethnic characteristics.
Please note that the "Australian Aboriginal" and "Torres Strait Islander" categories in this topic are not directly comparable from 2021 to previous years, due to a change in the wording of the question. In 2021, these options were marked boxes on the question rather than write-in options. The "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Origin" question is still considered a more reliable count for this group, and can be found on the Population summary page.
Please note: Due to changes in ABS rules around perturbation and additivity of data to protect the confidentiality of individuals, counts of ancestry groups and totals derived from them may differ slightly from those published by the ABS. For more information see notes on data confidentiality.
Derived from the Census question:
'What is the person's ancestry?'
Multi-response
Total population
| Ancestry - Totals | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canberra - Total persons (Usual residence) | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
| Ancestry totals | Number | % | Northern Territory % | Number | % | Northern Territory % | 2016 to 2021 | |
| Not stated | 20,701 | 3.3 | 8.2 | 23,296 | 4.4 | 11.2 | -2,595 | 37500 |
| Total responses | 627,411 | -- | -- | 529,882 | -- | -- | +97,529 | 37502 |
| Total people | 453,886 | -- | -- | 396,843 | -- | -- | +57,043 | |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing (opens a new window) 2016 and 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (opens a new window)(informed decisions).
| Ancestry - Ranked by size | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canberra - Total persons (Usual residence) | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
| Ancestry | Number | % | Northern Territory % | Number | % | Northern Territory % | 2016 to 2021 | |
| English | 145,139 | 32.0 | 23.1 | 37033 | 131,873 | 33.2 | 24.0 | +13,266 |
| Australian | 143,169 | 31.5 | 24.1 | 37010 | 127,124 | 32.0 | 28.6 | +16,045 |
| Irish | 52,606 | 11.6 | 7.3 | 37050 | 51,554 | 13.0 | 8.1 | +1,052 |
| Scottish | 45,404 | 10.0 | 6.3 | 37100 | 40,120 | 10.1 | 6.5 | +5,284 |
| Chinese | 26,038 | 5.7 | 3.0 | 37024 | 22,459 | 5.7 | 2.7 | +3,579 |
| Indian | 20,371 | 4.5 | 2.2 | 37046 | 14,543 | 3.7 | 2.0 | +5,828 |
| German | 19,068 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 37041 | 17,611 | 4.4 | 3.8 | +1,457 |
| Italian | 15,211 | 3.4 | 1.9 | 37051 | 12,968 | 3.3 | 1.8 | +2,243 |
| Australian Aboriginal | 8,592 | 1.9 | 24.5 | 37011 | 1,059 | 0.3 | 16.4 | +7,533 |
| Dutch | 7,812 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 37031 | 6,491 | 1.6 | 1.1 | +1,321 |
| Filipino | 7,285 | 1.6 | 3.5 | 37038 | 4,954 | 1.2 | 3.0 | +2,331 |
| Nepalese | 6,066 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 37069 | 905 | 0.2 | 0.5 | +5,161 |
| Vietnamese | 5,957 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 37123 | 4,932 | 1.2 | 0.6 | +1,025 |
| Croatian | 5,617 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 37027 | 4,617 | 1.2 | 0.1 | +1,000 |
| Greek | 5,526 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 37042 | 4,780 | 1.2 | 1.8 | +746 |
| Polish | 5,035 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 37093 | 4,183 | 1.1 | 0.4 | +852 |
| Other Indian subcontinent | 5,021 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 37078 | 1,588 | 0.4 | 0.2 | +3,433 |
| Inadequately Described | 4,085 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 37045 | 2,766 | 0.7 | 0.8 | +1,319 |
| Sinhalese/Sri Lankan | 3,826 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 370131 | 3,230 | 0.8 | 0.4 | +596 |
| Welsh | 3,634 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 37124 | 3,058 | 0.8 | 0.4 | +576 |
| Korean | 3,482 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 37056 | 2,780 | 0.7 | 0.2 | +702 |
| Pakistani | 3,408 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 37089 | 2,253 | 0.6 | 0.2 | +1,155 |
| French | 3,114 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 37040 | 2,578 | 0.6 | 0.5 | +536 |
| Spanish | 3,102 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 37109 | 2,777 | 0.7 | 0.4 | +325 |
| New Zealander | 2,882 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 37070 | 2,650 | 0.7 | 0.8 | +232 |
| Bengali/Bangladeshi | 2,573 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 370130 | 1,810 | 0.5 | 0.2 | +763 |
| Serbian | 2,514 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 37101 | 2,119 | 0.5 | 0.1 | +395 |
| Punjabi | 2,348 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 37095 | 672 | 0.2 | 0.1 | +1,676 |
| American | 2,112 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 37004 | 1,806 | 0.5 | 0.3 | +306 |
| Hungarian | 2,014 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 37044 | 1,747 | 0.4 | 0.2 | +267 |
| Russian | 1,995 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 37097 | 1,657 | 0.4 | 0.2 | +338 |
| South African | 1,994 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 37108 | 1,526 | 0.4 | 0.3 | +468 |
| Maltese | 1,963 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 37064 | 1,642 | 0.4 | 0.2 | +321 |
| Tamil | 1,947 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 37115 | 862 | 0.2 | 0.1 | +1,085 |
| Thai | 1,915 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 37116 | 1,451 | 0.4 | 0.5 | +464 |
| Indonesian | 1,687 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 37047 | 1,383 | 0.3 | 0.6 | +304 |
| Austrian | 1,656 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 37013 | 1,409 | 0.4 | 0.1 | +247 |
| Lebanese | 1,623 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 37060 | 1,391 | 0.4 | 0.1 | +232 |
| Finnish | 1,597 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 37039 | 1,375 | 0.3 | 0.1 | +222 |
| Japanese | 1,534 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 37052 | 1,225 | 0.3 | 0.3 | +309 |
| Iranian | 1,474 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 37048 | 1,105 | 0.3 | 0.1 | +369 |
| Macedonian | 1,458 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 37062 | 1,085 | 0.3 | 0.0 | +373 |
| Maori | 1,388 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 37065 | 977 | 0.2 | 0.7 | +411 |
| Chilean | 1,282 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 37023 | 1,048 | 0.3 | 0.0 | +234 |
| Malay | 1,270 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 37063 | 915 | 0.2 | 0.2 | +355 |
| Canadian | 1,269 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 37020 | 1,025 | 0.3 | 0.1 | +244 |
| Danish | 1,228 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 37030 | 1,060 | 0.3 | 0.2 | +168 |
| Ukrainian | 1,212 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 37121 | 1,008 | 0.3 | 0.1 | +204 |
| Portuguese | 1,164 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 37094 | 986 | 0.2 | 0.4 | +178 |
| Lao | 1,146 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 37058 | 1,054 | 0.3 | 0.0 | +92 |
| Sikh | 1,114 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 377114 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Tongan | 1,070 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 37118 | 685 | 0.2 | 0.1 | +385 |
| Samoan | 1,053 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 37099 | 791 | 0.2 | 0.1 | +262 |
| Burmese peoples | 1,039 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 37019 | 952 | 0.2 | 0.1 | +87 |
| Fijian | 1,014 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 37037 | 738 | 0.2 | 0.2 | +276 |
| Swedish | 972 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 37111 | 801 | 0.2 | 0.1 | +171 |
| Arab not further described | 916 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 37006 | 700 | 0.2 | 0.0 | +216 |
| Swiss | 856 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 37112 | 719 | 0.2 | 0.1 | +137 |
| Central and West African (other) | 826 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 370132 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Norwegian | 785 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 37071 | 661 | 0.2 | 0.1 | +124 |
| Egyptian | 771 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 37032 | 576 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +195 |
| Latvian | 770 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 37059 | 641 | 0.2 | 0.1 | +129 |
| Afghan | 758 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 37001 | 616 | 0.2 | 0.0 | +142 |
| Khmer (Cambodian) | 727 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 37055 | 560 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +167 |
| Czech | 681 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 37029 | 519 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +162 |
| Turkish | 679 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37120 | 495 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +184 |
| Slovene | 662 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37106 | 537 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +125 |
| Torres Strait Islander | 563 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 37119 | 38 | 0.0 | 0.2 | +525 |
| Other Middle-Eastern peoples | 552 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37079 | 281 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +271 |
| Jewish | 539 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37053 | 317 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +222 |
| Colombian | 533 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37025 | 244 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +289 |
| Mauritian | 518 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37066 | 340 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +178 |
| Brazilian | 515 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37017 | 305 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +210 |
| Sudanese | 492 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37110 | 395 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +97 |
| Other South American | 490 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37085 | 357 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +133 |
| Zimbabwean | 486 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 37125 | 420 | 0.1 | 0.2 | +66 |
| Iraqi | 476 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37049 | 415 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +61 |
| Nigerian | 464 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 379104 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Taiwanese | 461 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37114 | 250 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +211 |
| Other Southern and East African | 446 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37087 | 577 | 0.1 | 0.2 | -131 |
| Other North-Western European | 430 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37081 | 294 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +136 |
| Other Northern Asian | 421 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37082 | 240 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +181 |
| Papua New Guinean | 415 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 37091 | 339 | 0.1 | 0.2 | +76 |
| South Sudanese | 401 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 374305 | 318 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +83 |
| Cypriot | 401 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37028 | 278 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +123 |
| Other North American | 400 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37080 | 248 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +152 |
| Other British | 393 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37074 | 316 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +77 |
| Hazara | 384 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 377208 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Lithuanian | 381 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37061 | 303 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +78 |
| Peruvian | 376 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37092 | 253 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +123 |
| Romanian | 372 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37096 | 301 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +71 |
| Other Eastern European | 371 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37077 | 243 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +128 |
| Other Central Asian | 367 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37076 | 320 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +47 |
| Bosnian | 366 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37016 | 325 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +41 |
| Belgian | 363 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37014 | 326 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +37 |
| Argentinian | 325 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37007 | 256 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +69 |
| Mexican | 325 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37067 | 217 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +108 |
| Other South-East Asian | 312 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37086 | 209 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +103 |
| Other Oceanian (inc. Melanesia & Micronesia) | 306 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 37083 | 289 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +17 |
| Estonian | 301 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37035 | 257 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +44 |
| Other Arab peoples | 299 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37073 | 324 | 0.1 | 0.0 | -25 |
| Palestinian | 298 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37090 | 199 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +99 |
| Singaporean | 262 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37103 | 182 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +80 |
| Kenyan | 243 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 379205 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Syrian | 240 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37113 | 131 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +109 |
| Salvadoran | 231 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37098 | 157 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +74 |
| Slovak | 229 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37105 | 193 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +36 |
| Other Southern/South East European | 227 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37088 | 154 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +73 |
| Ethiopian | 209 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37036 | 195 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +14 |
| Caribbean Islander | 206 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 37021 | 145 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +61 |
| Assyrian/Chaldean | 187 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37009 | 85 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +102 |
| Anglo-Indian | 184 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37005 | 176 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +8 |
| Other Polynesian | 161 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 37084 | 90 | 0.0 | 0.1 | +71 |
| Jordanian | 157 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37054 | 150 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +7 |
| Albanian | 153 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37003 | 89 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +64 |
| Native American | 153 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 378106 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Armenian | 151 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37008 | 115 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +36 |
| Eritrean | 147 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37034 | 97 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +50 |
| Cook Islander | 138 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 37026 | 86 | 0.0 | 0.1 | +52 |
| Afrikaner | 133 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37002 | 92 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +41 |
| Other Central American | 131 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37075 | 67 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +64 |
| Uruguayan | 128 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37122 | 124 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +4 |
| Bulgarian | 122 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37018 | 96 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +26 |
| Kurdish | 93 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37057 | 89 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +4 |
| Congolese | 66 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 379113 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Somali | 59 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37107 | 66 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -7 |
| Timorese | 56 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 37117 | 51 | 0.0 | 0.5 | +5 |
| Australian South Sea Islander | 45 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37012 | 68 | 0.0 | 0.1 | -23 |
| Seychellois | 40 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37102 | 42 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -2 |
| Hmong | 32 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37043 | 28 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +4 |
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Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).
Compiled and presented in profile.id by .id (informed decisions).
Compiled and presented in profile.id by .id (informed decisions).
Dominant groups
Analysis of the ancestry responses of the population in Canberra in 2021 shows that the top five ancestries nominated were:
- English (145,139 people or 32.0%)
- Australian (143,169 people or 31.5%)
- Irish (52,606 people or 11.6%)
- Scottish (45,404 people or 10.0%)
- Chinese (26,038 people or 5.7%)
In combination these five ancestries account for 412,356 responses in total, or 90.85% of all responses.
The major differences between the ancestries of the population in Canberra and Northern Territory were:
- A larger percentage of people with English ancestry (32.0% compared to 23.1%)
- A larger percentage of people with Australian ancestry (31.5% compared to 24.1%)
- A larger percentage of people with Irish ancestry (11.6% compared to 7.3%)
- A smaller percentage of people with Australian Aboriginal ancestry (1.9% compared to 24.5%)
Emerging groups
The largest changes in the reported ancestries of the population in this area between 2016 and 2021 were:
- Australian (+16,045 persons)
- English (+13,266 persons)
- Australian Aboriginal (+7,533 persons)
- Indian (+5,828 persons)