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 Gwydir (A) were Australian, English and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Gwydir (A) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Gwydir (A) 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 Gwydir (A), with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
Australian
2021 count
2,274
% of total
23.2%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
2,274
23.2%
-0.7pp
English
2021 count
2,064
% of total
21.1%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
2,064
21.1%
-0.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
537
% of total
5.5%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
537
5.5%
+0.3pp
Irish
2021 count
514
% of total
5.3%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
514
5.3%
+0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
286
% of total
2.9%
Change from 2016
+2.9pp
286
2.9%
+2.9pp
German
2021 count
189
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
189
1.9%
-0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
41
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
41
0.4%
0.0pp
Dutch
2021 count
29
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
29
0.3%
0.0pp
Chinese
2021 count
22
% of total
0.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
22
0.2%
0.0pp
Welsh
2021 count
19
% of total
0.2%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
19
0.2%
+0.1pp
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-232
-0.7pp
English
-158
-0.1pp
Scottish
-12
+0.3pp
Irish
-7
+0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
+282
+2.9pp
German
-23
-0.1pp
Italian
+1
0.0pp
Dutch
-3
0.0pp
Chinese
+1
0.0pp
Welsh
+6
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Gwydir (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 | 2,274 | 23.2% | 20.1% | 2,506 | 23.9% | 21.3% | -232 | -0.7pp |
| English | 2,064 | 21.1% | 20.5% | 2,222 | 21.2% | 20.4% | -158 | -0.1pp |
| Scottish | 537 | 5.5% | 5.4% | 549 | 5.2% | 5.3% | -12 | +0.3pp |
| Irish | 514 | 5.3% | 5.9% | 521 | 5.0% | 6.1% | -7 | +0.3pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 286 | 2.9% | 3.1% | 4 | 0.0% | 0.4% | +282 | +2.9pp |
| German | 189 | 1.9% | 2.1% | 212 | 2.0% | 2.1% | -23 | -0.1pp |
| Italian | 41 | 0.4% | 1.4% | 40 | 0.4% | 1.3% | +1 | 0.0pp |
| Dutch | 29 | 0.3% | 0.7% | 32 | 0.3% | 0.6% | -3 | 0.0pp |
| Chinese | 22 | 0.2% | 0.5% | 21 | 0.2% | 0.5% | +1 | 0.0pp |
| Welsh | 19 | 0.2% | 0.3% | 13 | 0.1% | 0.3% | +6 | +0.1pp |
| Total | 9,782 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 10,496 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -714 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).