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 Kelso (NSW) were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Kelso (NSW) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Kelso (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 Kelso (NSW), with comparison markers for Bathurst Regional (A).
Australian
2021 count
4,420
% of total
22.0%
Change from 2016
-8.0pp
4,420
22.0%
-8.0pp
English
2021 count
4,275
% of total
21.3%
Change from 2016
-
4,275
21.3%
-
Irish
2021 count
1,293
% of total
6.4%
Change from 2016
-
1,293
6.4%
-
Scottish
2021 count
984
% of total
4.9%
Change from 2016
-
984
4.9%
-
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
861
% of total
4.3%
Change from 2016
-
861
4.3%
-
German
2021 count
292
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
-
292
1.5%
-
Italian
2021 count
199
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
-
199
1.0%
-
Dutch
2021 count
124
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
-
124
0.6%
-
Chinese
2021 count
86
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
-
86
0.4%
-
Indian
2021 count
83
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
-
83
0.4%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+4,417
-8.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Kelso (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 | 4,420 | 22.0% | 21.1% | 3 | 30.0% | 21.6% | +4,417 | -8.0pp |
| English | 4,275 | 21.3% | 20.5% | - | - | 20.3% | - | - |
| Irish | 1,293 | 6.4% | 7.2% | - | - | 7.6% | - | - |
| Scottish | 984 | 4.9% | 5.3% | - | - | 5.2% | - | - |
| Australian Aboriginal | 861 | 4.3% | 3.2% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
| German | 292 | 1.5% | 1.7% | - | - | 1.8% | - | - |
| Italian | 199 | 1.0% | 0.9% | - | - | 0.9% | - | - |
| Dutch | 124 | 0.6% | 0.7% | - | - | 0.7% | - | - |
| Chinese | 86 | 0.4% | 0.4% | - | - | 0.5% | - | - |
| Indian | 83 | 0.4% | 0.4% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
| Total | 20,075 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 10 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +20,065 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).