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 Blakehurst were Chinese, Greek and Australian.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Blakehurst - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Blakehurst in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Georges River (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Blakehurst, with comparison markers for Georges River (A).
Chinese
2021 count
1,269
% of total
9.6%
Change from 2016
-
1,269
9.6%
-
Greek
2021 count
1,221
% of total
9.2%
Change from 2016
-
1,221
9.2%
-
Australian
2021 count
999
% of total
7.5%
Change from 2016
-14.0pp
999
7.5%
-14.0pp
English
2021 count
963
% of total
7.2%
Change from 2016
-17.0pp
963
7.2%
-17.0pp
Italian
2021 count
414
% of total
3.1%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
414
3.1%
-0.6pp
Lebanese
2021 count
408
% of total
3.1%
Change from 2016
-
408
3.1%
-
Irish
2021 count
348
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
-2.8pp
348
2.6%
-2.8pp
Scottish
2021 count
244
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
-1.6pp
244
1.8%
-1.6pp
Macedonian
2021 count
227
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
-
227
1.7%
-
Egyptian
2021 count
140
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
-
140
1.1%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+935
-14.0pp
English
+891
-17.0pp
Italian
+403
-0.6pp
Irish
+332
-2.8pp
Scottish
+234
-1.6pp
Indian
+102
-1.2pp
German
+77
-0.7pp
Data table
Ancestry for Blakehurst. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Georges River (A).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Georges River (A)% | Count | % | Georges River (A)% | Count | pp | |
| Chinese | 1,269 | 9.6% | 13.1% | - | - | 13.9% | - | - |
| Greek | 1,221 | 9.2% | 3.9% | - | - | 3.7% | - | - |
| Australian | 999 | 7.5% | 7.3% | 64 | 21.5% | 7.7% | +935 | -14.0pp |
| English | 963 | 7.2% | 7.6% | 72 | 24.2% | 8.2% | +891 | -17.0pp |
| Italian | 414 | 3.1% | 2.1% | 11 | 3.7% | 2.0% | +403 | -0.6pp |
| Lebanese | 408 | 3.1% | 1.8% | - | - | 1.7% | - | - |
| Irish | 348 | 2.6% | 2.5% | 16 | 5.4% | 3.0% | +332 | -2.8pp |
| Scottish | 244 | 1.8% | 1.9% | 10 | 3.4% | 2.1% | +234 | -1.6pp |
| Macedonian | 227 | 1.7% | 1.5% | - | - | 1.4% | - | - |
| Egyptian | 140 | 1.1% | 0.6% | - | - | 0.6% | - | - |
| Total | 13,286 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 298 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +12,988 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).