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 Coolamon (A) were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Coolamon (A) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Coolamon (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Coolamon (A), with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
Australian
2021 count
1,968
% of total
44.9%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
1,968
44.9%
-0.4pp
English
2021 count
1,830
% of total
41.7%
Change from 2016
+3.2pp
1,830
41.7%
+3.2pp
Irish
2021 count
641
% of total
14.6%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
641
14.6%
0.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
522
% of total
11.9%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
522
11.9%
+0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
250
% of total
5.7%
Change from 2016
+5.3pp
250
5.7%
+5.3pp
German
2021 count
179
% of total
4.1%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
179
4.1%
-0.4pp
Italian
2021 count
54
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
54
1.2%
0.0pp
Dutch
2021 count
44
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
44
1.0%
0.0pp
French
2021 count
30
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
30
0.7%
+0.3pp
New Zealander
2021 count
16
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
16
0.4%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+15
-0.4pp
English
+170
+3.2pp
Irish
+13
0.0pp
Scottish
+22
+0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
+233
+5.3pp
German
-14
-0.4pp
Italian
+4
0.0pp
Dutch
+2
0.0pp
French
+11
+0.3pp
New Zealander
+1
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Coolamon (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 | |
| Australian | 1,968 | 44.9% | 40.2% | 1,953 | 45.3% | 42.5% | +15 | -0.4pp |
| English | 1,830 | 41.7% | 40.9% | 1,660 | 38.5% | 40.8% | +170 | +3.2pp |
| Irish | 641 | 14.6% | 11.8% | 628 | 14.6% | 12.3% | +13 | 0.0pp |
| Scottish | 522 | 11.9% | 10.7% | 500 | 11.6% | 10.5% | +22 | +0.3pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 250 | 5.7% | 6.1% | 17 | 0.4% | 0.8% | +233 | +5.3pp |
| German | 179 | 4.1% | 4.2% | 193 | 4.5% | 4.3% | -14 | -0.4pp |
| Italian | 54 | 1.2% | 2.8% | 50 | 1.2% | 2.6% | +4 | 0.0pp |
| Dutch | 44 | 1.0% | 1.4% | 42 | 1.0% | 1.3% | +2 | 0.0pp |
| French | 30 | 0.7% | 0.5% | 19 | 0.4% | 0.5% | +11 | +0.3pp |
| New Zealander | 16 | 0.4% | 0.6% | 15 | 0.3% | 0.6% | +1 | +0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).