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 Broken Hill (C) were Australian, English and Australian Aboriginal.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Broken Hill (C) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Broken Hill (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Broken Hill (C), with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
Australian
2021 count
7,597
% of total
43.2%
Change from 2016
-4.4pp
7,597
43.2%
-4.4pp
English
2021 count
6,643
% of total
37.8%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
6,643
37.8%
-0.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
1,615
% of total
9.2%
Change from 2016
+8.3pp
1,615
9.2%
+8.3pp
Irish
2021 count
1,590
% of total
9.0%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
1,590
9.0%
-0.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,504
% of total
8.6%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
1,504
8.6%
+0.3pp
German
2021 count
797
% of total
4.5%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
797
4.5%
-0.3pp
Italian
2021 count
537
% of total
3.1%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
537
3.1%
-0.1pp
Maltese
2021 count
264
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
264
1.5%
+0.2pp
Filipino
2021 count
254
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
254
1.4%
+0.6pp
Indian
2021 count
111
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
111
0.6%
+0.2pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-825
-4.4pp
English
-140
-0.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
+1,447
+8.3pp
Irish
-79
-0.4pp
Scottish
+30
+0.3pp
German
-54
-0.3pp
Italian
-22
-0.1pp
Maltese
+27
+0.2pp
Filipino
+104
+0.6pp
Indian
+32
+0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Broken Hill (C). 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 | |
| Australian | 7,597 | 43.2% | 40.2% | 8,422 | 47.6% | 42.5% | -825 | -4.4pp |
| English | 6,643 | 37.8% | 40.9% | 6,783 | 38.3% | 40.8% | -140 | -0.5pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 1,615 | 9.2% | 6.1% | 168 | 0.9% | 0.8% | +1,447 | +8.3pp |
| Irish | 1,590 | 9.0% | 11.8% | 1,669 | 9.4% | 12.3% | -79 | -0.4pp |
| Scottish | 1,504 | 8.6% | 10.7% | 1,474 | 8.3% | 10.5% | +30 | +0.3pp |
| German | 797 | 4.5% | 4.2% | 851 | 4.8% | 4.3% | -54 | -0.3pp |
| Italian | 537 | 3.1% | 2.8% | 559 | 3.2% | 2.6% | -22 | -0.1pp |
| Maltese | 264 | 1.5% | 0.5% | 237 | 1.3% | 0.5% | +27 | +0.2pp |
| Filipino | 254 | 1.4% | 0.8% | 150 | 0.8% | 0.6% | +104 | +0.6pp |
| Indian | 111 | 0.6% | 0.8% | 79 | 0.4% | 0.7% | +32 | +0.2pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).