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 Blacktown were Australian, English and Indian.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Blacktown - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Blacktown in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Blacktown (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Blacktown, with comparison markers for Blacktown (C).
Australian
2021 count
8,011
% of total
15.7%
Change from 2016
-2.3pp
8,011
15.7%
-2.3pp
English
2021 count
7,420
% of total
14.6%
Change from 2016
-2.4pp
7,420
14.6%
-2.4pp
Indian
2021 count
7,376
% of total
14.5%
Change from 2016
-1.4pp
7,376
14.5%
-1.4pp
Filipino
2021 count
3,686
% of total
7.2%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
3,686
7.2%
+0.2pp
Chinese
2021 count
2,696
% of total
5.3%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
2,696
5.3%
+0.2pp
Punjabi
2021 count
2,585
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
+3.4pp
2,585
5.1%
+3.4pp
Irish
2021 count
1,958
% of total
3.8%
Change from 2016
-1.2pp
1,958
3.8%
-1.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,612
% of total
3.2%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
1,612
3.2%
-0.5pp
Sikh
2021 count
1,498
% of total
2.9%
Change from 2016
+2.3pp
1,498
2.9%
+2.3pp
Italian
2021 count
1,178
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
1,178
2.3%
-0.2pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-473
-2.3pp
English
-613
-2.4pp
Indian
-112
-1.4pp
Filipino
+389
+0.2pp
Chinese
+282
+0.2pp
Punjabi
+1,800
+3.4pp
Irish
-408
-1.2pp
Scottish
-138
-0.5pp
Sikh
+1,227
+2.3pp
Italian
0
-0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Blacktown. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Blacktown (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Blacktown (C)% | Count | % | Blacktown (C)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 8,011 | 15.7% | 19.1% | 8,484 | 18.0% | 22.8% | -473 | -2.3pp |
| English | 7,420 | 14.6% | 16.8% | 8,033 | 17.0% | 20.7% | -613 | -2.4pp |
| Indian | 7,376 | 14.5% | 13.5% | 7,488 | 15.9% | 11.3% | -112 | -1.4pp |
| Filipino | 3,686 | 7.2% | 9.0% | 3,297 | 7.0% | 8.9% | +389 | +0.2pp |
| Chinese | 2,696 | 5.3% | 4.5% | 2,414 | 5.1% | 4.1% | +282 | +0.2pp |
| Punjabi | 2,585 | 5.1% | 2.6% | 785 | 1.7% | 0.8% | +1,800 | +3.4pp |
| Irish | 1,958 | 3.8% | 4.2% | 2,366 | 5.0% | 5.7% | -408 | -1.2pp |
| Scottish | 1,612 | 3.2% | 3.5% | 1,750 | 3.7% | 4.4% | -138 | -0.5pp |
| Sikh | 1,498 | 2.9% | 1.4% | 271 | 0.6% | 0.3% | +1,227 | +2.3pp |
| Italian | 1,178 | 2.3% | 2.3% | 1,178 | 2.5% | 2.6% | 0 | -0.2pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).