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 Bathurst were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Bathurst - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Bathurst in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Bathurst Regional (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Bathurst, with comparison markers for Bathurst Regional (A).
English
2021 count
2,809
% of total
40.1%
Change from 2016
-1.7pp
2,809
40.1%
-1.7pp
Australian
2021 count
2,472
% of total
35.3%
Change from 2016
-1.5pp
2,472
35.3%
-1.5pp
Irish
2021 count
1,132
% of total
16.2%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
1,132
16.2%
-0.7pp
Scottish
2021 count
773
% of total
11.0%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
773
11.0%
+0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
371
% of total
5.3%
Change from 2016
+4.4pp
371
5.3%
+4.4pp
German
2021 count
254
% of total
3.6%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
254
3.6%
-0.3pp
Italian
2021 count
111
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
111
1.6%
-0.5pp
Indian
2021 count
111
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
111
1.6%
+0.2pp
Nepalese
2021 count
105
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
105
1.5%
+1.0pp
Chinese
2021 count
99
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
99
1.4%
-0.2pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
-92
-1.7pp
Australian
-78
-1.5pp
Irish
-38
-0.7pp
Scottish
+28
+0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
+311
+4.4pp
German
-13
-0.3pp
Italian
-34
-0.5pp
Indian
+13
+0.2pp
Nepalese
+71
+1.0pp
Chinese
-13
-0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Bathurst. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Bathurst Regional (A).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Bathurst Regional (A)% | Count | % | Bathurst Regional (A)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 2,809 | 40.1% | 40.9% | 2,901 | 41.8% | 40.6% | -92 | -1.7pp |
| Australian | 2,472 | 35.3% | 42.1% | 2,550 | 36.8% | 43.3% | -78 | -1.5pp |
| Irish | 1,132 | 16.2% | 14.3% | 1,170 | 16.9% | 15.2% | -38 | -0.7pp |
| Scottish | 773 | 11.0% | 10.6% | 745 | 10.7% | 10.3% | +28 | +0.3pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 371 | 5.3% | 6.4% | 60 | 0.9% | 0.7% | +311 | +4.4pp |
| German | 254 | 3.6% | 3.3% | 267 | 3.9% | 3.5% | -13 | -0.3pp |
| Italian | 111 | 1.6% | 1.9% | 145 | 2.1% | 1.8% | -34 | -0.5pp |
| Indian | 111 | 1.6% | 0.8% | 98 | 1.4% | 0.6% | +13 | +0.2pp |
| Nepalese | 105 | 1.5% | 0.5% | 34 | 0.5% | 0.1% | +71 | +1.0pp |
| Chinese | 99 | 1.4% | 0.9% | 112 | 1.6% | 0.9% | -13 | -0.2pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).