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 Central Coast (C) (NSW) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Central Coast (C) (NSW) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Central Coast (C) (NSW) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Sydney and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Central Coast (C) (NSW), with comparison markers for Greater Sydney.
English
2021 count
147,753
% of total
21.3%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
147,753
21.3%
-0.4pp
Australian
2021 count
138,273
% of total
19.9%
Change from 2016
-1.0pp
138,273
19.9%
-1.0pp
Irish
2021 count
41,757
% of total
6.0%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
41,757
6.0%
-0.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
36,360
% of total
5.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
36,360
5.2%
0.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
16,303
% of total
2.4%
Change from 2016
+2.2pp
16,303
2.4%
+2.2pp
German
2021 count
11,403
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
11,403
1.6%
-0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
9,730
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
9,730
1.4%
+0.1pp
Chinese
2021 count
5,135
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
5,135
0.7%
+0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
5,124
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
5,124
0.7%
0.0pp
Maltese
2021 count
3,938
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
3,938
0.6%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+5,375
-0.4pp
Australian
+1,140
-1.0pp
Irish
-500
-0.4pp
Scottish
+2,454
0.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
+14,869
+2.2pp
German
+243
-0.1pp
Italian
+1,487
+0.1pp
Chinese
+968
+0.1pp
Dutch
+634
0.0pp
Maltese
+661
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Central Coast (C) (NSW). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Sydney.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Sydney% | Count | % | Greater Sydney% | Count | pp | |
| English | 147,753 | 21.3% | 11.9% | 142,378 | 21.7% | 12.6% | +5,375 | -0.4pp |
| Australian | 138,273 | 19.9% | 11.2% | 137,133 | 20.9% | 11.8% | +1,140 | -1.0pp |
| Irish | 41,757 | 6.0% | 3.8% | 42,257 | 6.4% | 4.3% | -500 | -0.4pp |
| Scottish | 36,360 | 5.2% | 3.0% | 33,906 | 5.2% | 3.2% | +2,454 | 0.0pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 16,303 | 2.4% | 0.8% | 1,434 | 0.2% | 0.1% | +14,869 | +2.2pp |
| German | 11,403 | 1.6% | 1.2% | 11,160 | 1.7% | 1.3% | +243 | -0.1pp |
| Italian | 9,730 | 1.4% | 2.1% | 8,243 | 1.3% | 2.1% | +1,487 | +0.1pp |
| Chinese | 5,135 | 0.7% | 5.3% | 4,167 | 0.6% | 5.1% | +968 | +0.1pp |
| Dutch | 5,124 | 0.7% | 0.5% | 4,490 | 0.7% | 0.5% | +634 | 0.0pp |
| Maltese | 3,938 | 0.6% | 0.6% | 3,277 | 0.5% | 0.6% | +661 | +0.1pp |
| Total | 693,187 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 655,404 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +37,783 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).