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 Clarence Valley (A) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Clarence Valley (A) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Clarence Valley (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Clarence Valley (A), with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
English
2021 count
22,672
% of total
41.9%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
22,672
41.9%
-0.5pp
Australian
2021 count
22,585
% of total
41.7%
Change from 2016
-3.3pp
22,585
41.7%
-3.3pp
Irish
2021 count
6,353
% of total
11.7%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
6,353
11.7%
-0.6pp
Scottish
2021 count
6,298
% of total
11.6%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
6,298
11.6%
0.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
3,836
% of total
7.1%
Change from 2016
+6.0pp
3,836
7.1%
+6.0pp
German
2021 count
2,324
% of total
4.3%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
2,324
4.3%
-0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
836
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
836
1.5%
+0.3pp
Dutch
2021 count
628
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
628
1.2%
0.0pp
Filipino
2021 count
315
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
315
0.6%
+0.2pp
Chinese
2021 count
313
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
313
0.6%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+1,172
-0.5pp
Australian
-192
-3.3pp
Irish
+110
-0.6pp
Scottish
+442
0.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
+3,284
+6.0pp
German
+23
-0.2pp
Italian
+207
+0.3pp
Dutch
+16
0.0pp
Filipino
+113
+0.2pp
Chinese
+49
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Clarence Valley (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 | 22,672 | 41.9% | 40.9% | 21,500 | 42.4% | 40.8% | +1,172 | -0.5pp |
| Australian | 22,585 | 41.7% | 40.2% | 22,777 | 45.0% | 42.5% | -192 | -3.3pp |
| Irish | 6,353 | 11.7% | 11.8% | 6,243 | 12.3% | 12.3% | +110 | -0.6pp |
| Scottish | 6,298 | 11.6% | 10.7% | 5,856 | 11.6% | 10.5% | +442 | 0.0pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 3,836 | 7.1% | 6.1% | 552 | 1.1% | 0.8% | +3,284 | +6.0pp |
| German | 2,324 | 4.3% | 4.2% | 2,301 | 4.5% | 4.3% | +23 | -0.2pp |
| Italian | 836 | 1.5% | 2.8% | 629 | 1.2% | 2.6% | +207 | +0.3pp |
| Dutch | 628 | 1.2% | 1.4% | 612 | 1.2% | 1.3% | +16 | 0.0pp |
| Filipino | 315 | 0.6% | 0.8% | 202 | 0.4% | 0.6% | +113 | +0.2pp |
| Chinese | 313 | 0.6% | 1.0% | 264 | 0.5% | 1.0% | +49 | +0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).