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 Cumbalum were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Cumbalum - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Cumbalum in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Ballina (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Cumbalum, with comparison markers for Ballina (A).
Australian
2021 count
967
% of total
21.9%
Change from 2016
-22.5pp
967
21.9%
-22.5pp
English
2021 count
916
% of total
20.8%
Change from 2016
+2.3pp
916
20.8%
+2.3pp
Irish
2021 count
266
% of total
6.0%
Change from 2016
-
266
6.0%
-
Scottish
2021 count
224
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
-
224
5.1%
-
German
2021 count
107
% of total
2.4%
Change from 2016
-
107
2.4%
-
Italian
2021 count
101
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
-
101
2.3%
-
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
81
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
-
81
1.8%
-
New Zealander
2021 count
37
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
-
37
0.8%
-
Indian
2021 count
35
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
-
35
0.8%
-
Dutch
2021 count
32
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-
32
0.7%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+955
-22.5pp
English
+911
+2.3pp
Data table
Ancestry for Cumbalum. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Ballina (A).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Ballina (A)% | Count | % | Ballina (A)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 967 | 21.9% | 19.6% | 12 | 44.4% | 20.1% | +955 | -22.5pp |
| English | 916 | 20.8% | 22.2% | 5 | 18.5% | 21.9% | +911 | +2.3pp |
| Irish | 266 | 6.0% | 7.2% | - | - | 7.3% | - | - |
| Scottish | 224 | 5.1% | 6.3% | - | - | 6.1% | - | - |
| German | 107 | 2.4% | 2.3% | - | - | 2.2% | - | - |
| Italian | 101 | 2.3% | 1.6% | - | - | 1.4% | - | - |
| Australian Aboriginal | 81 | 1.8% | 1.9% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
| New Zealander | 37 | 0.8% | 0.4% | - | - | 0.4% | - | - |
| Indian | 35 | 0.8% | 0.3% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
| Dutch | 32 | 0.7% | 0.8% | - | - | 0.7% | - | - |
| Total | 4,406 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 27 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +4,379 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).