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 Bega Valley (A) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Bega Valley (A) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Bega Valley (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Bega Valley (A), with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
English
2021 count
15,737
% of total
21.9%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
15,737
21.9%
+0.2pp
Australian
2021 count
14,618
% of total
20.3%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
14,618
20.3%
-0.7pp
Irish
2021 count
4,666
% of total
6.5%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
4,666
6.5%
+0.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
4,092
% of total
5.7%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
4,092
5.7%
+0.1pp
German
2021 count
1,841
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
1,841
2.6%
+0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
1,297
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
+1.6pp
1,297
1.8%
+1.6pp
Dutch
2021 count
735
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
735
1.0%
0.0pp
Italian
2021 count
687
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
687
1.0%
+0.2pp
Welsh
2021 count
246
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
246
0.3%
0.0pp
Chinese
2021 count
244
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
244
0.3%
0.0pp
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+1,303
+0.2pp
Australian
+630
-0.7pp
Irish
+518
+0.3pp
Scottish
+360
+0.1pp
German
+171
+0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
+1,165
+1.6pp
Dutch
+87
0.0pp
Italian
+144
+0.2pp
Welsh
+22
0.0pp
Chinese
+45
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Bega Valley (A). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional NSW.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional NSW% | Count | % | Regional NSW% | Count | pp | |
| English | 15,737 | 21.9% | 20.5% | 14,434 | 21.7% | 20.4% | +1,303 | +0.2pp |
| Australian | 14,618 | 20.3% | 20.1% | 13,988 | 21.0% | 21.3% | +630 | -0.7pp |
| Irish | 4,666 | 6.5% | 5.9% | 4,148 | 6.2% | 6.1% | +518 | +0.3pp |
| Scottish | 4,092 | 5.7% | 5.4% | 3,732 | 5.6% | 5.3% | +360 | +0.1pp |
| German | 1,841 | 2.6% | 2.1% | 1,670 | 2.5% | 2.1% | +171 | +0.1pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 1,297 | 1.8% | 3.1% | 132 | 0.2% | 0.4% | +1,165 | +1.6pp |
| Dutch | 735 | 1.0% | 0.7% | 648 | 1.0% | 0.6% | +87 | 0.0pp |
| Italian | 687 | 1.0% | 1.4% | 543 | 0.8% | 1.3% | +144 | +0.2pp |
| Welsh | 246 | 0.3% | 0.3% | 224 | 0.3% | 0.3% | +22 | 0.0pp |
| Chinese | 244 | 0.3% | 0.5% | 199 | 0.3% | 0.5% | +45 | 0.0pp |
| Total | 71,878 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 66,489 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +5,389 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).