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 Edward River (A) were Australian, English and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Edward River (A) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Edward River (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Edward River (A), with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
Australian
2021 count
3,706
% of total
43.8%
Change from 2016
-2.6pp
3,706
43.8%
-2.6pp
English
2021 count
3,400
% of total
40.2%
Change from 2016
+2.9pp
3,400
40.2%
+2.9pp
Scottish
2021 count
949
% of total
11.2%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
949
11.2%
-0.1pp
Irish
2021 count
907
% of total
10.7%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
907
10.7%
0.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
385
% of total
4.6%
Change from 2016
+4.1pp
385
4.6%
+4.1pp
German
2021 count
285
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
285
3.4%
+0.4pp
Italian
2021 count
235
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
235
2.8%
+0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
109
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
109
1.3%
+0.1pp
Chinese
2021 count
63
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
63
0.7%
-0.1pp
Indian
2021 count
45
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
45
0.5%
0.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-401
-2.6pp
English
+96
+2.9pp
Scottish
-55
-0.1pp
Irish
-42
0.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
+345
+4.1pp
German
+18
+0.4pp
Italian
-2
+0.1pp
Dutch
+7
+0.1pp
Chinese
-10
-0.1pp
Indian
-2
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Edward River (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 | 3,706 | 43.8% | 40.2% | 4,107 | 46.4% | 42.5% | -401 | -2.6pp |
| English | 3,400 | 40.2% | 40.9% | 3,304 | 37.3% | 40.8% | +96 | +2.9pp |
| Scottish | 949 | 11.2% | 10.7% | 1,004 | 11.3% | 10.5% | -55 | -0.1pp |
| Irish | 907 | 10.7% | 11.8% | 949 | 10.7% | 12.3% | -42 | 0.0pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 385 | 4.6% | 6.1% | 40 | 0.5% | 0.8% | +345 | +4.1pp |
| German | 285 | 3.4% | 4.2% | 267 | 3.0% | 4.3% | +18 | +0.4pp |
| Italian | 235 | 2.8% | 2.8% | 237 | 2.7% | 2.6% | -2 | +0.1pp |
| Dutch | 109 | 1.3% | 1.4% | 102 | 1.2% | 1.3% | +7 | +0.1pp |
| Chinese | 63 | 0.7% | 1.0% | 73 | 0.8% | 1.0% | -10 | -0.1pp |
| Indian | 45 | 0.5% | 0.8% | 47 | 0.5% | 0.7% | -2 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).