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 Upper Lurg were English, Irish and Australian.

Section overview

Ancestry - Ranked by size

Upper Lurg - Total persons (Usual residence)

This table summarises ancestry for Upper Lurg in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Benalla (RC) and change since 2016.

Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Upper Lurg, with comparison markers for Benalla (RC).

Upper Lurg
Benalla (RC)

English

2021 count

68

% of total

63.6%

Change from 2016

+20.6pp

Irish

2021 count

34

% of total

31.8%

Change from 2016

+16.9pp

Australian

2021 count

14

% of total

13.1%

Change from 2016

-20.0pp

German

2021 count

13

% of total

12.1%

Change from 2016

+5.5pp

Scottish

2021 count

10

% of total

9.3%

Change from 2016

+3.5pp

Data table

Ancestry for Upper Lurg. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Benalla (RC).

Ancestry for Upper Lurg. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Benalla (RC).
Ancestry for Upper Lurg. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Benalla (RC).
Category20212016Change
Count%Benalla (RC)%Count%Benalla (RC)%Countpp
English6863.6%42.9%5243.0%41.2%+16+20.6pp
Irish3431.8%14.3%1814.9%13.7%+16+16.9pp
Australian1413.1%39.7%4033.1%42.1%-26-20.0pp
German1312.1%5.0%86.6%4.9%+5+5.5pp
Scottish109.3%13.2%75.8%12.7%+3+3.5pp

Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).