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 Auburn (NSW) were Chinese, Nepalese and Turkish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Auburn (NSW) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Auburn (NSW) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Cumberland (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Auburn (NSW), with comparison markers for Cumberland (A).
Chinese
2021 count
8,574
% of total
10.9%
Change from 2016
-
8,574
10.9%
-
Nepalese
2021 count
5,011
% of total
6.4%
Change from 2016
-
5,011
6.4%
-
Turkish
2021 count
3,196
% of total
4.1%
Change from 2016
-
3,196
4.1%
-
Lebanese
2021 count
2,452
% of total
3.1%
Change from 2016
-
2,452
3.1%
-
Indian
2021 count
2,393
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
-
2,393
3.0%
-
English
2021 count
2,369
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
-19.7pp
2,369
3.0%
-19.7pp
Australian
2021 count
2,258
% of total
2.9%
Change from 2016
-14.1pp
2,258
2.9%
-14.1pp
Pakistani
2021 count
1,489
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
-
1,489
1.9%
-
Hazara
2021 count
1,069
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
-
1,069
1.4%
-
Afghan
2021 count
1,044
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
-
1,044
1.3%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+2,313
-19.7pp
Australian
+2,216
-14.1pp
Irish
+234
-5.8pp
Scottish
+143
-11.9pp
German
+106
-2.7pp
Welsh
+10
-1.6pp
Data table
Ancestry for Auburn (NSW). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Cumberland (A).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Cumberland (A)% | Count | % | Cumberland (A)% | Count | pp | |
| Chinese | 8,574 | 10.9% | 6.3% | - | - | 6.3% | - | - |
| Nepalese | 5,011 | 6.4% | 2.2% | - | - | 1.3% | - | - |
| Turkish | 3,196 | 4.1% | 1.6% | - | - | 1.7% | - | - |
| Lebanese | 2,452 | 3.1% | 5.9% | - | - | 6.6% | - | - |
| Indian | 2,393 | 3.0% | 4.3% | - | - | 4.2% | - | - |
| English | 2,369 | 3.0% | 4.6% | 56 | 22.7% | 5.1% | +2,313 | -19.7pp |
| Australian | 2,258 | 2.9% | 5.3% | 42 | 17.0% | 6.0% | +2,216 | -14.1pp |
| Pakistani | 1,489 | 1.9% | 1.0% | - | - | 1.0% | - | - |
| Hazara | 1,069 | 1.4% | 0.9% | - | - | 0.6% | - | - |
| Afghan | 1,044 | 1.3% | 1.1% | - | - | 1.4% | - | - |
| Total | 78,641 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 247 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +78,394 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).