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 Armidale Regional were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Armidale Regional - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Armidale Regional in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Armidale Regional, with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
English
2021 count
10,778
% of total
37.0%
Change from 2016
-
10,778
37.0%
-
Australian
2021 count
10,507
% of total
36.1%
Change from 2016
-
10,507
36.1%
-
Irish
2021 count
3,515
% of total
12.1%
Change from 2016
-
3,515
12.1%
-
Scottish
2021 count
3,331
% of total
11.4%
Change from 2016
-
3,331
11.4%
-
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
2,108
% of total
7.2%
Change from 2016
-
2,108
7.2%
-
German
2021 count
1,287
% of total
4.4%
Change from 2016
-
1,287
4.4%
-
Chinese
2021 count
434
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
-
434
1.5%
-
Dutch
2021 count
328
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
-
328
1.1%
-
Italian
2021 count
321
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
-
321
1.1%
-
Iraqi
2021 count
294
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
-
294
1.0%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Data table
Ancestry for Armidale Regional. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional NSW.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional NSW% | Count | % | Regional NSW% | Count | pp | |
| English | 10,778 | 37.0% | 40.9% | - | - | 40.8% | - | - |
| Australian | 10,507 | 36.1% | 40.2% | - | - | 42.5% | - | - |
| Irish | 3,515 | 12.1% | 11.8% | - | - | 12.3% | - | - |
| Scottish | 3,331 | 11.4% | 10.7% | - | - | 10.5% | - | - |
| Australian Aboriginal | 2,108 | 7.2% | 6.1% | - | - | 0.8% | - | - |
| German | 1,287 | 4.4% | 4.2% | - | - | 4.3% | - | - |
| Chinese | 434 | 1.5% | 1.0% | - | - | 1.0% | - | - |
| Dutch | 328 | 1.1% | 1.4% | - | - | 1.3% | - | - |
| Italian | 321 | 1.1% | 2.8% | - | - | 2.6% | - | - |
| Iraqi | 294 | 1.0% | 0.1% | - | - | 0.0% | - | - |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).