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 Coffs Harbour (C) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Coffs Harbour (C) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Coffs Harbour (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Coffs Harbour (C), with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
English
2021 count
32,802
% of total
41.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
32,802
41.6%
+0.1pp
Australian
2021 count
29,808
% of total
37.8%
Change from 2016
-2.4pp
29,808
37.8%
-2.4pp
Irish
2021 count
9,445
% of total
12.0%
Change from 2016
-1.0pp
9,445
12.0%
-1.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
8,557
% of total
10.9%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
8,557
10.9%
+0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
4,394
% of total
5.6%
Change from 2016
+5.0pp
4,394
5.6%
+5.0pp
German
2021 count
3,375
% of total
4.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
3,375
4.3%
0.0pp
Italian
2021 count
1,723
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
1,723
2.2%
0.0pp
Indian
2021 count
1,300
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
1,300
1.7%
-0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
1,232
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
1,232
1.6%
+0.2pp
Punjabi
2021 count
871
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
871
1.1%
+0.8pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+2,504
+0.1pp
Australian
+464
-2.4pp
Irish
-14
-1.0pp
Scottish
+699
+0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
+3,939
+5.0pp
German
+260
0.0pp
Italian
+126
0.0pp
Indian
-48
-0.1pp
Dutch
+219
+0.2pp
Punjabi
+637
+0.8pp
Data table
Ancestry for Coffs Harbour (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 | |
| English | 32,802 | 41.6% | 40.9% | 30,298 | 41.5% | 40.8% | +2,504 | +0.1pp |
| Australian | 29,808 | 37.8% | 40.2% | 29,344 | 40.2% | 42.5% | +464 | -2.4pp |
| Irish | 9,445 | 12.0% | 11.8% | 9,459 | 13.0% | 12.3% | -14 | -1.0pp |
| Scottish | 8,557 | 10.9% | 10.7% | 7,858 | 10.8% | 10.5% | +699 | +0.1pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 4,394 | 5.6% | 6.1% | 455 | 0.6% | 0.8% | +3,939 | +5.0pp |
| German | 3,375 | 4.3% | 4.2% | 3,115 | 4.3% | 4.3% | +260 | 0.0pp |
| Italian | 1,723 | 2.2% | 2.8% | 1,597 | 2.2% | 2.6% | +126 | 0.0pp |
| Indian | 1,300 | 1.7% | 0.8% | 1,348 | 1.8% | 0.7% | -48 | -0.1pp |
| Dutch | 1,232 | 1.6% | 1.4% | 1,013 | 1.4% | 1.3% | +219 | +0.2pp |
| Punjabi | 871 | 1.1% | 0.2% | 234 | 0.3% | 0.0% | +637 | +0.8pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).