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 Bellingen (A) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Bellingen (A) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Bellingen (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Bellingen (A), with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
English
2021 count
5,822
% of total
43.9%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
5,822
43.9%
-0.2pp
Australian
2021 count
5,194
% of total
39.2%
Change from 2016
-2.8pp
5,194
39.2%
-2.8pp
Irish
2021 count
1,879
% of total
14.2%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
1,879
14.2%
+0.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,699
% of total
12.8%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
1,699
12.8%
+0.6pp
German
2021 count
671
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
671
5.1%
+0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
525
% of total
4.0%
Change from 2016
+3.4pp
525
4.0%
+3.4pp
Dutch
2021 count
248
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
248
1.9%
+0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
213
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
213
1.6%
0.0pp
Welsh
2021 count
123
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
123
0.9%
0.0pp
New Zealander
2021 count
110
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
110
0.8%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+235
-0.2pp
Australian
-124
-2.8pp
Irish
+134
+0.4pp
Scottish
+148
+0.6pp
German
+56
+0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
+452
+3.4pp
Dutch
+34
+0.2pp
Italian
+6
0.0pp
Welsh
+15
0.0pp
New Zealander
+16
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Bellingen (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 | 5,822 | 43.9% | 40.9% | 5,587 | 44.1% | 40.8% | +235 | -0.2pp |
| Australian | 5,194 | 39.2% | 40.2% | 5,318 | 42.0% | 42.5% | -124 | -2.8pp |
| Irish | 1,879 | 14.2% | 11.8% | 1,745 | 13.8% | 12.3% | +134 | +0.4pp |
| Scottish | 1,699 | 12.8% | 10.7% | 1,551 | 12.2% | 10.5% | +148 | +0.6pp |
| German | 671 | 5.1% | 4.2% | 615 | 4.9% | 4.3% | +56 | +0.2pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 525 | 4.0% | 6.1% | 73 | 0.6% | 0.8% | +452 | +3.4pp |
| Dutch | 248 | 1.9% | 1.4% | 214 | 1.7% | 1.3% | +34 | +0.2pp |
| Italian | 213 | 1.6% | 2.8% | 207 | 1.6% | 2.6% | +6 | 0.0pp |
| Welsh | 123 | 0.9% | 0.7% | 108 | 0.9% | 0.7% | +15 | 0.0pp |
| New Zealander | 110 | 0.8% | 0.6% | 94 | 0.7% | 0.6% | +16 | +0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).