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 Wollongbar were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Wollongbar - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Wollongbar in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Ballina (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Wollongbar, with comparison markers for Ballina (A).
English
2021 count
1,498
% of total
45.9%
Change from 2016
+2.7pp
1,498
45.9%
+2.7pp
Australian
2021 count
1,360
% of total
41.7%
Change from 2016
-4.6pp
1,360
41.7%
-4.6pp
Irish
2021 count
431
% of total
13.2%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
431
13.2%
+0.9pp
Scottish
2021 count
424
% of total
13.0%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
424
13.0%
+0.5pp
German
2021 count
172
% of total
5.3%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
172
5.3%
+1.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
154
% of total
4.7%
Change from 2016
+3.6pp
154
4.7%
+3.6pp
Italian
2021 count
138
% of total
4.2%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
138
4.2%
-0.5pp
Dutch
2021 count
49
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
49
1.5%
+0.2pp
Chinese
2021 count
34
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
34
1.0%
+0.6pp
Welsh
2021 count
26
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
26
0.8%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+275
+2.7pp
Australian
+50
-4.6pp
Irish
+82
+0.9pp
Scottish
+70
+0.5pp
German
+49
+1.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
+123
+3.6pp
Italian
+4
-0.5pp
Dutch
+12
+0.2pp
Chinese
+22
+0.6pp
Welsh
+5
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Wollongbar. 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 | |
| English | 1,498 | 45.9% | 44.4% | 1,223 | 43.2% | 43.9% | +275 | +2.7pp |
| Australian | 1,360 | 41.7% | 39.3% | 1,310 | 46.3% | 40.1% | +50 | -4.6pp |
| Irish | 431 | 13.2% | 14.4% | 349 | 12.3% | 14.6% | +82 | +0.9pp |
| Scottish | 424 | 13.0% | 12.6% | 354 | 12.5% | 12.1% | +70 | +0.5pp |
| German | 172 | 5.3% | 4.6% | 123 | 4.3% | 4.4% | +49 | +1.0pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 154 | 4.7% | 3.7% | 31 | 1.1% | 0.6% | +123 | +3.6pp |
| Italian | 138 | 4.2% | 3.3% | 134 | 4.7% | 2.9% | +4 | -0.5pp |
| Dutch | 49 | 1.5% | 1.5% | 37 | 1.3% | 1.4% | +12 | +0.2pp |
| Chinese | 34 | 1.0% | 0.8% | 12 | 0.4% | 0.7% | +22 | +0.6pp |
| Welsh | 26 | 0.8% | 0.8% | 21 | 0.7% | 0.7% | +5 | +0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).