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 Eglinton (NSW) were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Eglinton (NSW) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Eglinton (NSW) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Bathurst Regional (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Eglinton (NSW), with comparison markers for Bathurst Regional (A).
Australian
2021 count
1,407
% of total
23.3%
Change from 2016
+3.1pp
1,407
23.3%
+3.1pp
English
2021 count
1,344
% of total
22.3%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
1,344
22.3%
+0.5pp
Irish
2021 count
373
% of total
6.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
373
6.2%
0.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
333
% of total
5.5%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
333
5.5%
+0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
150
% of total
2.5%
Change from 2016
-
150
2.5%
-
German
2021 count
93
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
93
1.5%
-0.8pp
Italian
2021 count
72
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
-1.2pp
72
1.2%
-1.2pp
Dutch
2021 count
63
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
63
1.0%
0.0pp
Indian
2021 count
37
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
37
0.6%
+0.3pp
Maltese
2021 count
29
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
29
0.5%
+0.3pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-352
+3.1pp
English
-552
+0.5pp
Irish
-164
0.0pp
Scottish
-136
+0.1pp
German
-107
-0.8pp
Italian
-138
-1.2pp
Dutch
-28
0.0pp
Indian
+7
+0.3pp
Maltese
+10
+0.3pp
Polish
-5
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Eglinton (NSW). 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 | |
| Australian | 1,407 | 23.3% | 21.1% | 1,759 | 20.2% | 21.6% | -352 | +3.1pp |
| English | 1,344 | 22.3% | 20.5% | 1,896 | 21.8% | 20.3% | -552 | +0.5pp |
| Irish | 373 | 6.2% | 7.2% | 537 | 6.2% | 7.6% | -164 | 0.0pp |
| Scottish | 333 | 5.5% | 5.3% | 469 | 5.4% | 5.2% | -136 | +0.1pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 150 | 2.5% | 3.2% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
| German | 93 | 1.5% | 1.7% | 200 | 2.3% | 1.8% | -107 | -0.8pp |
| Italian | 72 | 1.2% | 0.9% | 210 | 2.4% | 0.9% | -138 | -1.2pp |
| Dutch | 63 | 1.0% | 0.7% | 91 | 1.0% | 0.7% | -28 | 0.0pp |
| Indian | 37 | 0.6% | 0.4% | 30 | 0.3% | 0.3% | +7 | +0.3pp |
| Maltese | 29 | 0.5% | 0.3% | 19 | 0.2% | 0.2% | +10 | +0.3pp |
| Total | 6,037 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 8,715 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -2,678 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).