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 Dubbo Regional were Australian, English and Australian Aboriginal.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Dubbo Regional - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Dubbo Regional in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Dubbo Regional, with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
Australian
2021 count
22,012
% of total
20.0%
Change from 2016
-
22,012
20.0%
-
English
2021 count
19,705
% of total
17.9%
Change from 2016
-
19,705
17.9%
-
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
8,272
% of total
7.5%
Change from 2016
-
8,272
7.5%
-
Irish
2021 count
5,820
% of total
5.3%
Change from 2016
-
5,820
5.3%
-
Scottish
2021 count
4,501
% of total
4.1%
Change from 2016
-
4,501
4.1%
-
German
2021 count
1,700
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
-
1,700
1.5%
-
Nepalese
2021 count
777
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-
777
0.7%
-
Italian
2021 count
751
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-
751
0.7%
-
Indian
2021 count
734
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-
734
0.7%
-
Chinese
2021 count
559
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
-
559
0.5%
-
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Data table
Ancestry for Dubbo Regional. 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 | 22,012 | 20.0% | 20.1% | - | - | 21.3% | - | - |
| English | 19,705 | 17.9% | 20.5% | - | - | 20.4% | - | - |
| Australian Aboriginal | 8,272 | 7.5% | 3.1% | - | - | 0.4% | - | - |
| Irish | 5,820 | 5.3% | 5.9% | - | - | 6.1% | - | - |
| Scottish | 4,501 | 4.1% | 5.4% | - | - | 5.3% | - | - |
| German | 1,700 | 1.5% | 2.1% | - | - | 2.1% | - | - |
| Nepalese | 777 | 0.7% | 0.1% | - | - | 0.0% | - | - |
| Italian | 751 | 0.7% | 1.4% | - | - | 1.3% | - | - |
| Indian | 734 | 0.7% | 0.4% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
| Chinese | 559 | 0.5% | 0.5% | - | - | 0.5% | - | - |
| Total | 109,835 | 100.0% | 100.0% | - | - | 100.0% | - | - |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).