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 Byron (A) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Byron (A) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Byron (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Byron (A), with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
English
2021 count
14,550
% of total
40.3%
Change from 2016
+1.1pp
14,550
40.3%
+1.1pp
Australian
2021 count
10,823
% of total
30.0%
Change from 2016
-3.9pp
10,823
30.0%
-3.9pp
Irish
2021 count
5,510
% of total
15.3%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
5,510
15.3%
+0.5pp
Scottish
2021 count
4,329
% of total
12.0%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
4,329
12.0%
+0.8pp
German
2021 count
2,211
% of total
6.1%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
2,211
6.1%
+0.7pp
Italian
2021 count
1,516
% of total
4.2%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
1,516
4.2%
+1.4pp
Dutch
2021 count
706
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
706
2.0%
+0.2pp
French
2021 count
690
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
690
1.9%
+0.6pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
638
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
+1.5pp
638
1.8%
+1.5pp
Spanish
2021 count
413
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
413
1.1%
+0.5pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+2,175
+1.1pp
Australian
+110
-3.9pp
Irish
+846
+0.5pp
Scottish
+803
+0.8pp
German
+507
+0.7pp
Italian
+622
+1.4pp
Dutch
+129
+0.2pp
French
+264
+0.6pp
Australian Aboriginal
+546
+1.5pp
Spanish
+214
+0.5pp
Data table
Ancestry for Byron (A). 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 | |
| English | 14,550 | 40.3% | 40.9% | 12,375 | 39.2% | 40.8% | +2,175 | +1.1pp |
| Australian | 10,823 | 30.0% | 40.2% | 10,713 | 33.9% | 42.5% | +110 | -3.9pp |
| Irish | 5,510 | 15.3% | 11.8% | 4,664 | 14.8% | 12.3% | +846 | +0.5pp |
| Scottish | 4,329 | 12.0% | 10.7% | 3,526 | 11.2% | 10.5% | +803 | +0.8pp |
| German | 2,211 | 6.1% | 4.2% | 1,704 | 5.4% | 4.3% | +507 | +0.7pp |
| Italian | 1,516 | 4.2% | 2.8% | 894 | 2.8% | 2.6% | +622 | +1.4pp |
| Dutch | 706 | 2.0% | 1.4% | 577 | 1.8% | 1.3% | +129 | +0.2pp |
| French | 690 | 1.9% | 0.5% | 426 | 1.3% | 0.5% | +264 | +0.6pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 638 | 1.8% | 6.1% | 92 | 0.3% | 0.8% | +546 | +1.5pp |
| Spanish | 413 | 1.1% | 0.4% | 199 | 0.6% | 0.3% | +214 | +0.5pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).