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 Oatley were English, Australian and Chinese.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Oatley - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Oatley in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Georges River (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Oatley, with comparison markers for Georges River (A).
English
2021 count
3,116
% of total
29.2%
Change from 2016
-2.0pp
3,116
29.2%
-2.0pp
Australian
2021 count
2,903
% of total
27.2%
Change from 2016
-1.4pp
2,903
27.2%
-1.4pp
Chinese
2021 count
1,714
% of total
16.1%
Change from 2016
+2.8pp
1,714
16.1%
+2.8pp
Irish
2021 count
1,104
% of total
10.4%
Change from 2016
-1.7pp
1,104
10.4%
-1.7pp
Scottish
2021 count
884
% of total
8.3%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
884
8.3%
-0.8pp
Italian
2021 count
579
% of total
5.4%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
579
5.4%
+0.8pp
Greek
2021 count
573
% of total
5.4%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
573
5.4%
+0.4pp
German
2021 count
315
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
315
3.0%
+0.2pp
Croatian
2021 count
309
% of total
2.9%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
309
2.9%
+0.1pp
Lebanese
2021 count
309
% of total
2.9%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
309
2.9%
+0.6pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
-154
-2.0pp
Australian
-98
-1.4pp
Chinese
+318
+2.8pp
Irish
-163
-1.7pp
Scottish
-74
-0.8pp
Italian
+100
+0.8pp
Greek
+50
+0.4pp
German
+18
+0.2pp
Croatian
+14
+0.1pp
Lebanese
+68
+0.6pp
Data table
Ancestry for Oatley. 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 | |
| English | 3,116 | 29.2% | 15.2% | 3,270 | 31.2% | 16.3% | -154 | -2.0pp |
| Australian | 2,903 | 27.2% | 14.7% | 3,001 | 28.6% | 15.5% | -98 | -1.4pp |
| Chinese | 1,714 | 16.1% | 26.1% | 1,396 | 13.3% | 27.8% | +318 | +2.8pp |
| Irish | 1,104 | 10.4% | 5.1% | 1,267 | 12.1% | 5.9% | -163 | -1.7pp |
| Scottish | 884 | 8.3% | 3.8% | 958 | 9.1% | 4.1% | -74 | -0.8pp |
| Italian | 579 | 5.4% | 4.3% | 479 | 4.6% | 4.1% | +100 | +0.8pp |
| Greek | 573 | 5.4% | 7.8% | 523 | 5.0% | 7.4% | +50 | +0.4pp |
| German | 315 | 3.0% | 1.4% | 297 | 2.8% | 1.5% | +18 | +0.2pp |
| Croatian | 309 | 2.9% | 1.5% | 295 | 2.8% | 1.4% | +14 | +0.1pp |
| Lebanese | 309 | 2.9% | 3.7% | 241 | 2.3% | 3.4% | +68 | +0.6pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).