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 Whalan were Australian, English and Australian Aboriginal.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Whalan - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Whalan in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Blacktown (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Whalan, with comparison markers for Blacktown (C).
Australian
2021 count
1,575
% of total
26.6%
Change from 2016
-5.6pp
1,575
26.6%
-5.6pp
English
2021 count
1,346
% of total
22.7%
Change from 2016
-5.3pp
1,346
22.7%
-5.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
602
% of total
10.2%
Change from 2016
+9.0pp
602
10.2%
+9.0pp
Samoan
2021 count
382
% of total
6.4%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
382
6.4%
+1.0pp
Filipino
2021 count
290
% of total
4.9%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
290
4.9%
+0.8pp
Scottish
2021 count
282
% of total
4.8%
Change from 2016
-1.1pp
282
4.8%
-1.1pp
Irish
2021 count
265
% of total
4.5%
Change from 2016
-1.6pp
265
4.5%
-1.6pp
Tongan
2021 count
148
% of total
2.5%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
148
2.5%
+0.3pp
Maori
2021 count
134
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
134
2.3%
+0.1pp
Indian
2021 count
125
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
125
2.1%
-0.9pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-351
-5.6pp
English
-325
-5.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
+532
+9.0pp
Samoan
+61
+1.0pp
Filipino
+48
+0.8pp
Scottish
-68
-1.1pp
Irish
-101
-1.6pp
Tongan
+16
+0.3pp
Maori
+5
+0.1pp
Indian
-57
-0.9pp
Data table
Ancestry for Whalan. 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 | 1,575 | 26.6% | 19.1% | 1,926 | 32.2% | 22.8% | -351 | -5.6pp |
| English | 1,346 | 22.7% | 16.8% | 1,671 | 28.0% | 20.7% | -325 | -5.3pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 602 | 10.2% | 2.7% | 70 | 1.2% | 0.4% | +532 | +9.0pp |
| Samoan | 382 | 6.4% | 1.8% | 321 | 5.4% | 1.7% | +61 | +1.0pp |
| Filipino | 290 | 4.9% | 9.0% | 242 | 4.1% | 8.9% | +48 | +0.8pp |
| Scottish | 282 | 4.8% | 3.5% | 350 | 5.9% | 4.4% | -68 | -1.1pp |
| Irish | 265 | 4.5% | 4.2% | 366 | 6.1% | 5.7% | -101 | -1.6pp |
| Tongan | 148 | 2.5% | 1.1% | 132 | 2.2% | 1.0% | +16 | +0.3pp |
| Maori | 134 | 2.3% | 1.1% | 129 | 2.2% | 1.1% | +5 | +0.1pp |
| Indian | 125 | 2.1% | 13.5% | 182 | 3.0% | 11.3% | -57 | -0.9pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).