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 Gilgandra (A) were Australian, English and Australian Aboriginal.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Gilgandra (A) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Gilgandra (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Gilgandra (A), with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
Australian
2021 count
1,885
% of total
43.9%
Change from 2016
-7.6pp
1,885
43.9%
-7.6pp
English
2021 count
1,643
% of total
38.3%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
1,643
38.3%
+0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
562
% of total
13.1%
Change from 2016
+11.1pp
562
13.1%
+11.1pp
Irish
2021 count
463
% of total
10.8%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
463
10.8%
+0.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
403
% of total
9.4%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
403
9.4%
+0.9pp
German
2021 count
146
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
146
3.4%
-0.6pp
Dutch
2021 count
36
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
36
0.8%
+0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
34
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
34
0.8%
+0.2pp
Filipino
2021 count
32
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
32
0.7%
+0.2pp
Maori
2021 count
17
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
17
0.4%
-0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-297
-7.6pp
English
+35
+0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
+479
+11.1pp
Irish
+15
+0.2pp
Scottish
+44
+0.9pp
German
-23
-0.6pp
Dutch
+10
+0.2pp
Italian
+9
+0.2pp
Filipino
+12
+0.2pp
Maori
-4
-0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Gilgandra (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 | 1,885 | 43.9% | 40.2% | 2,182 | 51.5% | 42.5% | -297 | -7.6pp |
| English | 1,643 | 38.3% | 40.9% | 1,608 | 38.0% | 40.8% | +35 | +0.3pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 562 | 13.1% | 6.1% | 83 | 2.0% | 0.8% | +479 | +11.1pp |
| Irish | 463 | 10.8% | 11.8% | 448 | 10.6% | 12.3% | +15 | +0.2pp |
| Scottish | 403 | 9.4% | 10.7% | 359 | 8.5% | 10.5% | +44 | +0.9pp |
| German | 146 | 3.4% | 4.2% | 169 | 4.0% | 4.3% | -23 | -0.6pp |
| Dutch | 36 | 0.8% | 1.4% | 26 | 0.6% | 1.3% | +10 | +0.2pp |
| Italian | 34 | 0.8% | 2.8% | 25 | 0.6% | 2.6% | +9 | +0.2pp |
| Filipino | 32 | 0.7% | 0.8% | 20 | 0.5% | 0.6% | +12 | +0.2pp |
| Maori | 17 | 0.4% | 0.4% | 21 | 0.5% | 0.3% | -4 | -0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).