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 West Bathurst were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
West Bathurst - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for West 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 West Bathurst, with comparison markers for Bathurst Regional (A).
English
2021 count
1,533
% of total
42.2%
Change from 2016
-1.0pp
1,533
42.2%
-1.0pp
Australian
2021 count
1,463
% of total
40.3%
Change from 2016
-4.9pp
1,463
40.3%
-4.9pp
Irish
2021 count
520
% of total
14.3%
Change from 2016
-1.9pp
520
14.3%
-1.9pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
363
% of total
10.0%
Change from 2016
+9.0pp
363
10.0%
+9.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
356
% of total
9.8%
Change from 2016
-1.3pp
356
9.8%
-1.3pp
German
2021 count
142
% of total
3.9%
Change from 2016
+1.1pp
142
3.9%
+1.1pp
Italian
2021 count
71
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
71
2.0%
+0.2pp
Dutch
2021 count
51
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
51
1.4%
-0.2pp
Filipino
2021 count
38
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
38
1.0%
+0.4pp
Welsh
2021 count
32
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
32
0.9%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
-53
-1.0pp
Australian
-196
-4.9pp
Irish
-74
-1.9pp
Australian Aboriginal
+328
+9.0pp
Scottish
-53
-1.3pp
German
+40
+1.1pp
Italian
+6
+0.2pp
Dutch
-9
-0.2pp
Filipino
+17
+0.4pp
Welsh
+4
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for West 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 | 1,533 | 42.2% | 40.9% | 1,586 | 43.2% | 40.6% | -53 | -1.0pp |
| Australian | 1,463 | 40.3% | 42.1% | 1,659 | 45.2% | 43.3% | -196 | -4.9pp |
| Irish | 520 | 14.3% | 14.3% | 594 | 16.2% | 15.2% | -74 | -1.9pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 363 | 10.0% | 6.4% | 35 | 1.0% | 0.7% | +328 | +9.0pp |
| Scottish | 356 | 9.8% | 10.6% | 409 | 11.1% | 10.3% | -53 | -1.3pp |
| German | 142 | 3.9% | 3.3% | 102 | 2.8% | 3.5% | +40 | +1.1pp |
| Italian | 71 | 2.0% | 1.9% | 65 | 1.8% | 1.8% | +6 | +0.2pp |
| Dutch | 51 | 1.4% | 1.4% | 60 | 1.6% | 1.3% | -9 | -0.2pp |
| Filipino | 38 | 1.0% | 0.8% | 21 | 0.6% | 0.5% | +17 | +0.4pp |
| Welsh | 32 | 0.9% | 0.6% | 28 | 0.8% | 0.6% | +4 | +0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).