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 Blayney were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Blayney - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Blayney in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Blayney (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Blayney, with comparison markers for Blayney (A).
Australian
2021 count
1,647
% of total
47.8%
Change from 2016
-2.4pp
1,647
47.8%
-2.4pp
English
2021 count
1,559
% of total
45.2%
Change from 2016
+5.4pp
1,559
45.2%
+5.4pp
Irish
2021 count
450
% of total
13.1%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
450
13.1%
+0.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
348
% of total
10.1%
Change from 2016
+2.3pp
348
10.1%
+2.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
245
% of total
7.1%
Change from 2016
+6.8pp
245
7.1%
+6.8pp
German
2021 count
109
% of total
3.2%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
109
3.2%
+0.2pp
Dutch
2021 count
47
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
47
1.4%
+0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
37
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
37
1.1%
-0.3pp
Maltese
2021 count
16
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
16
0.5%
+0.1pp
Chinese
2021 count
15
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
15
0.4%
-0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-50
-2.4pp
English
+216
+5.4pp
Irish
+14
+0.2pp
Scottish
+83
+2.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
+235
+6.8pp
German
+7
+0.2pp
Dutch
+3
+0.1pp
Italian
-11
-0.3pp
Maltese
+1
+0.1pp
Chinese
-3
-0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Blayney. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Blayney (A).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Blayney (A)% | Count | % | Blayney (A)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 1,647 | 47.8% | 46.2% | 1,697 | 50.2% | 47.5% | -50 | -2.4pp |
| English | 1,559 | 45.2% | 43.6% | 1,343 | 39.8% | 41.7% | +216 | +5.4pp |
| Irish | 450 | 13.1% | 13.9% | 436 | 12.9% | 14.6% | +14 | +0.2pp |
| Scottish | 348 | 10.1% | 10.9% | 265 | 7.8% | 10.0% | +83 | +2.3pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 245 | 7.1% | 5.6% | 10 | 0.3% | 0.3% | +235 | +6.8pp |
| German | 109 | 3.2% | 3.1% | 102 | 3.0% | 3.3% | +7 | +0.2pp |
| Dutch | 47 | 1.4% | 1.4% | 44 | 1.3% | 1.4% | +3 | +0.1pp |
| Italian | 37 | 1.1% | 1.3% | 48 | 1.4% | 1.4% | -11 | -0.3pp |
| Maltese | 16 | 0.5% | 0.5% | 15 | 0.4% | 0.4% | +1 | +0.1pp |
| Chinese | 15 | 0.4% | 0.5% | 18 | 0.5% | 0.5% | -3 | -0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).