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 Hilltops (A) were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Hilltops (A) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Hilltops (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Hilltops (A), with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
Australian
2021 count
8,456
% of total
43.9%
Change from 2016
-3.4pp
8,456
43.9%
-3.4pp
English
2021 count
7,917
% of total
41.1%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
7,917
41.1%
0.0pp
Irish
2021 count
2,709
% of total
14.1%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
2,709
14.1%
-0.7pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,839
% of total
9.6%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
1,839
9.6%
+0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
910
% of total
4.7%
Change from 2016
+4.4pp
910
4.7%
+4.4pp
German
2021 count
649
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
649
3.4%
-0.2pp
Lebanese
2021 count
302
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
302
1.6%
+0.4pp
Italian
2021 count
239
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
239
1.2%
+0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
163
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
163
0.8%
-0.1pp
Chinese
2021 count
159
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
159
0.8%
+0.3pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-301
-3.4pp
English
+316
0.0pp
Irish
-30
-0.7pp
Scottish
+141
+0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
+855
+4.4pp
German
-25
-0.2pp
Lebanese
+89
+0.4pp
Italian
+34
+0.1pp
Dutch
0
-0.1pp
Chinese
+58
+0.3pp
Data table
Ancestry for Hilltops (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 | 8,456 | 43.9% | 40.2% | 8,757 | 47.3% | 42.5% | -301 | -3.4pp |
| English | 7,917 | 41.1% | 40.9% | 7,601 | 41.1% | 40.8% | +316 | 0.0pp |
| Irish | 2,709 | 14.1% | 11.8% | 2,739 | 14.8% | 12.3% | -30 | -0.7pp |
| Scottish | 1,839 | 9.6% | 10.7% | 1,698 | 9.2% | 10.5% | +141 | +0.4pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 910 | 4.7% | 6.1% | 55 | 0.3% | 0.8% | +855 | +4.4pp |
| German | 649 | 3.4% | 4.2% | 674 | 3.6% | 4.3% | -25 | -0.2pp |
| Lebanese | 302 | 1.6% | 0.3% | 213 | 1.2% | 0.2% | +89 | +0.4pp |
| Italian | 239 | 1.2% | 2.8% | 205 | 1.1% | 2.6% | +34 | +0.1pp |
| Dutch | 163 | 0.8% | 1.4% | 163 | 0.9% | 1.3% | 0 | -0.1pp |
| Chinese | 159 | 0.8% | 1.0% | 101 | 0.5% | 1.0% | +58 | +0.3pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).