Greater Adelaide
Ancestry
The three largest ancestries in Greater Adelaide in 2021 were English, Australian and Scottish.
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 Greater Adelaide 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 Greater Adelaide'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 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Adelaide - Total persons (Usual residence) | 2021 | 2006 | Change | |||||
| Ancestry totals | Number | % | Australia % | Number | % | Australia % | 2006 to 2021 | |
| Not stated | 58,447 | 3.2 | 4.7 | 73,419 | 5.2 | 6.7 | -14,972 | 37500 |
| Total responses | 1,853,184 | -- | -- | 1,411,718 | -- | -- | +441,466 | 37502 |
| Total people | 1,387,292 | -- | -- | 1,156,904 | -- | -- | +230,388 | |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing (opens a new window) 2006 and 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (opens a new window)(informed decisions).
| Ancestry - Ranked by size | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Adelaide - Total persons (Usual residence) | 2021 | 2006 | Change | |||||
| Ancestry | Number | % | Australia % | Number | % | Australia % | 2006 to 2021 | |
| English | 511,166 | 36.8 | 33.0 | 37033 | 410,378 | 35.5 | 31.6 | +100,788 |
| Australian | 419,533 | 30.2 | 29.9 | 37010 | 419,150 | 36.2 | 37.1 | +383 |
| Scottish | 113,163 | 8.2 | 8.6 | 37100 | 83,947 | 7.3 | 7.5 | +29,216 |
| Irish | 105,722 | 7.6 | 9.5 | 37050 | 83,439 | 7.2 | 9.1 | +22,283 |
| Italian | 95,008 | 6.8 | 4.4 | 37051 | 79,495 | 6.9 | 4.3 | +15,513 |
| German | 93,341 | 6.7 | 4.0 | 37041 | 77,528 | 6.7 | 4.1 | +15,813 |
| Chinese | 56,829 | 4.1 | 5.5 | 37024 | 24,367 | 2.1 | 3.4 | +32,462 |
| Indian | 41,843 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 37046 | 8,325 | 0.7 | 1.2 | +33,518 |
| Greek | 37,710 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 37042 | 34,194 | 3.0 | 1.8 | +3,516 |
| Dutch | 22,959 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 37031 | 20,231 | 1.7 | 1.6 | +2,728 |
| Vietnamese | 22,342 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 37123 | 12,252 | 1.1 | 0.9 | +10,090 |
| Australian Aboriginal | 22,281 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 37011 | 2,503 | 0.2 | 0.6 | +19,778 |
| Polish | 18,155 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 37093 | 16,056 | 1.4 | 0.8 | +2,099 |
| Filipino | 17,837 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 37038 | 6,394 | 0.6 | 0.8 | +11,443 |
| Welsh | 10,497 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 37124 | 8,196 | 0.7 | 0.6 | +2,301 |
| Inadequately Described | 9,782 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 37045 | 2,933 | 0.3 | 0.3 | +6,849 |
| Punjabi | 9,245 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 37095 | 187 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +9,058 |
| Other Indian subcontinent | 9,131 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 37078 | 408 | 0.0 | 0.1 | +8,723 |
| Croatian | 8,775 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 37027 | 6,490 | 0.6 | 0.6 | +2,285 |
| Nepalese | 8,546 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 37069 | 156 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +8,390 |
| Serbian | 8,358 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 37101 | 7,405 | 0.6 | 0.5 | +953 |
| Maltese | 7,080 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 37064 | 5,667 | 0.5 | 0.8 | +1,413 |
| Hazara | 6,963 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 377208 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| French | 6,715 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 37040 | 5,046 | 0.4 | 0.5 | +1,669 |
| Russian | 6,387 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 37097 | 4,720 | 0.4 | 0.3 | +1,667 |
| Khmer (Cambodian) | 6,212 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 37055 | 3,201 | 0.3 | 0.1 | +3,011 |
| Sinhalese/Sri Lankan | 5,904 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 370131 | 1,759 | 0.2 | 0.4 | +4,145 |
| Afghan | 5,804 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 37001 | 1,441 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +4,363 |
| Lebanese | 5,628 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 37060 | 4,320 | 0.4 | 0.9 | +1,308 |
| Hungarian | 5,379 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 37044 | 4,809 | 0.4 | 0.3 | +570 |
| New Zealander | 5,364 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 37070 | 4,760 | 0.4 | 0.8 | +604 |
| South African | 5,357 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 37108 | 3,078 | 0.3 | 0.4 | +2,279 |
| Sikh | 5,242 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 377114 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Ukrainian | 5,196 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 37121 | 4,478 | 0.4 | 0.2 | +718 |
| Iranian | 5,080 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 37048 | 1,888 | 0.2 | 0.1 | +3,192 |
| Spanish | 4,984 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 37109 | 3,133 | 0.3 | 0.4 | +1,851 |
| Pakistani | 4,764 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 37089 | 559 | 0.0 | 0.1 | +4,205 |
| Korean | 4,625 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 37056 | 1,924 | 0.2 | 0.3 | +2,701 |
| American | 3,563 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 37004 | 2,708 | 0.2 | 0.3 | +855 |
| Cypriot | 3,435 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 37028 | 967 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +2,468 |
| Thai | 3,295 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 37116 | 1,173 | 0.1 | 0.2 | +2,122 |
| Austrian | 3,116 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 37013 | 2,869 | 0.2 | 0.2 | +247 |
| Japanese | 2,851 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 37052 | 1,453 | 0.1 | 0.2 | +1,398 |
| Danish | 2,796 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 37030 | 2,256 | 0.2 | 0.3 | +540 |
| Maori | 2,754 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 37065 | 1,814 | 0.2 | 0.5 | +940 |
| Burmese peoples | 2,742 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 37019 | 190 | 0.0 | 0.1 | +2,552 |
| Malay | 2,718 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 37063 | 1,203 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +1,515 |
| Swedish | 2,630 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 37111 | 1,972 | 0.2 | 0.2 | +658 |
| Tamil | 2,534 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 37115 | 133 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +2,401 |
| Bengali/Bangladeshi | 2,503 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 370130 | 322 | 0.0 | 0.1 | +2,181 |
| Latvian | 2,497 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 37059 | 2,511 | 0.2 | 0.1 | -14 |
| Indonesian | 2,496 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 37047 | 1,227 | 0.1 | 0.2 | +1,269 |
| Other Southern and East African | 2,483 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 37087 | 741 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +1,742 |
| Portuguese | 2,415 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 37094 | 1,183 | 0.1 | 0.2 | +1,232 |
| Arab not further described | 2,224 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 37006 | 542 | 0.0 | 0.1 | +1,682 |
| Bosnian | 2,213 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 37016 | 1,560 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +653 |
| Canadian | 2,186 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 37020 | 1,601 | 0.1 | 0.2 | +585 |
| Egyptian | 1,845 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 37032 | 705 | 0.1 | 0.2 | +1,140 |
| Norwegian | 1,797 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37071 | 1,258 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +539 |
| Other Central Asian | 1,737 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37076 | 639 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +1,098 |
| Macedonian | 1,716 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 37062 | 1,323 | 0.1 | 0.4 | +393 |
| Romanian | 1,709 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37096 | 1,217 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +492 |
| Central and West African (other) | 1,691 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 370132 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Czech | 1,675 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37029 | 1,361 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +314 |
| Lithuanian | 1,613 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37061 | 1,643 | 0.1 | 0.1 | -30 |
| South Sudanese | 1,574 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 374305 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Syrian | 1,551 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37113 | 303 | 0.0 | 0.1 | +1,248 |
| Other British | 1,516 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37074 | 587 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +929 |
| Brazilian | 1,381 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37017 | 227 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +1,154 |
| Swiss | 1,375 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37112 | 972 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +403 |
| Colombian | 1,351 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37025 | 111 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +1,240 |
| Slovene | 1,339 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37106 | 1,096 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +243 |
| Finnish | 1,334 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37039 | 1,108 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +226 |
| Congolese | 1,328 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 379113 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Albanian | 1,316 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37003 | 561 | 0.0 | 0.1 | +755 |
| Iraqi | 1,315 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 37049 | 542 | 0.0 | 0.1 | +773 |
| Turkish | 1,286 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 37120 | 645 | 0.1 | 0.3 | +641 |
| Torres Strait Islander | 1,223 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 37119 | 40 | 0.0 | 0.1 | +1,183 |
| Chilean | 1,172 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 37023 | 702 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +470 |
| Fijian | 1,114 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 37037 | 354 | 0.0 | 0.1 | +760 |
| Kenyan | 1,087 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 379205 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Other Eastern European | 1,064 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37077 | 662 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +402 |
| Bulgarian | 1,059 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37018 | 839 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +220 |
| Other Middle-Eastern peoples | 1,046 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 37079 | 203 | 0.0 | 0.1 | +843 |
| Other North American | 1,040 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37080 | 284 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +756 |
| Other South American | 1,036 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37085 | 368 | 0.0 | 0.1 | +668 |
| Sudanese | 1,036 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37110 | 1,764 | 0.2 | 0.1 | -728 |
| Lao | 970 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37058 | 583 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +387 |
| Ethiopian | 903 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37036 | 295 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +608 |
| Taiwanese | 878 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37114 | 131 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +747 |
| Other South-East Asian | 872 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37086 | 154 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +718 |
| Kurdish | 868 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37057 | 530 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +338 |
| Slovak | 848 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37105 | 690 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +158 |
| Estonian | 844 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37035 | 838 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +6 |
| Zimbabwean | 805 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37125 | 267 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +538 |
| Salvadoran | 782 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37098 | 518 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +264 |
| Belgian | 776 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37014 | 520 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +256 |
| Eritrean | 761 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 37034 | 127 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +634 |
| Other North-Western European | 755 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 37081 | 372 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +383 |
| Nigerian | 687 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 379104 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Jewish | 679 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 37053 | 346 | 0.0 | 0.1 | +333 |
| Caribbean Islander | 602 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 37021 | 266 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +336 |
| Other Arab peoples | 593 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 37073 | 177 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +416 |
| Mexican | 570 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37067 | 139 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +431 |
| Palestinian | 569 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 37090 | 216 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +353 |
| Other Southern/South East European | 501 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37088 | 421 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +80 |
| Samoan | 500 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 37099 | 201 | 0.0 | 0.2 | +299 |
| Argentinian | 494 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 37007 | 298 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +196 |
| Peruvian | 488 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 37092 | 174 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +314 |
| Somali | 450 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 37107 | 228 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +222 |
| Anglo-Indian | 450 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 37005 | 441 | 0.0 | 0.1 | +9 |
| Mauritian | 428 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 37066 | 183 | 0.0 | 0.1 | +245 |
| Papua New Guinean | 426 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 37091 | 282 | 0.0 | 0.1 | +144 |
| Singaporean | 413 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37103 | 127 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +286 |
| Armenian | 352 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 37008 | 191 | 0.0 | 0.1 | +161 |
| Other Northern Asian | 349 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37082 | 74 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +275 |
| Tongan | 334 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 37118 | 152 | 0.0 | 0.1 | +182 |
| Afrikaner | 300 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37002 | 170 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +130 |
| Other Oceanian (inc. Melanesia & Micronesia) | 290 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 37083 | 153 | 0.0 | 0.1 | +137 |
| Other Polynesian | 251 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 37084 | 112 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +139 |
| Jordanian | 239 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37054 | 148 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +91 |
| Cook Islander | 219 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 37026 | 120 | 0.0 | 0.1 | +99 |
| Native American | 216 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 378106 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Other Central American | 197 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37075 | 71 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +126 |
| Timorese | 130 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37117 | 94 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +36 |
| Uruguayan | 116 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37122 | 81 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +35 |
| Assyrian/Chaldean | 72 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 37009 | 20 | 0.0 | 0.1 | +52 |
| Seychellois | 69 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37102 | 51 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +18 |
| Australian South Sea Islander | 48 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37012 | 49 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -1 |
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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 Greater Adelaide in 2021 shows that the top five ancestries nominated were:
- English (511,166 people or 36.8%)
- Australian (419,533 people or 30.2%)
- Scottish (113,163 people or 8.2%)
- Irish (105,722 people or 7.6%)
- Italian (95,008 people or 6.8%)
In combination these five ancestries account for 1,244,592 responses in total, or 89.71% of all responses.
The major differences between the ancestries of the population in Greater Adelaide and Australia were:
- A larger percentage of people with English ancestry (36.8% compared to 33.0%)
- A larger percentage of people with German ancestry (6.7% compared to 4.0%)
- A larger percentage of people with Italian ancestry (6.8% compared to 4.4%)
- A smaller percentage of people with Irish ancestry (7.6% compared to 9.5%)
Emerging groups
The largest changes in the reported ancestries of the population in this area between 2006 and 2021 were:
- English (+100,788 persons)
- Indian (+33,518 persons)
- Chinese (+32,462 persons)
- Scottish (+29,216 persons)