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 Balmain were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Balmain - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Balmain in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Inner West (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Balmain, with comparison markers for Inner West (A).
English
2021 count
4,266
% of total
40.8%
Change from 2016
+1.7pp
4,266
40.8%
+1.7pp
Australian
2021 count
2,889
% of total
27.6%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
2,889
27.6%
0.0pp
Irish
2021 count
1,908
% of total
18.3%
Change from 2016
+1.3pp
1,908
18.3%
+1.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,359
% of total
13.0%
Change from 2016
+1.1pp
1,359
13.0%
+1.1pp
Italian
2021 count
494
% of total
4.7%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
494
4.7%
+0.5pp
Chinese
2021 count
451
% of total
4.3%
Change from 2016
+1.1pp
451
4.3%
+1.1pp
German
2021 count
403
% of total
3.9%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
403
3.9%
+0.1pp
Greek
2021 count
208
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
208
2.0%
+0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
178
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
178
1.7%
+0.3pp
Indian
2021 count
166
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
166
1.6%
+0.4pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+184
+1.7pp
Australian
+6
0.0pp
Irish
+129
+1.3pp
Scottish
+120
+1.1pp
Italian
+57
+0.5pp
Chinese
+119
+1.1pp
German
+6
+0.1pp
Greek
+14
+0.1pp
Dutch
+32
+0.3pp
Indian
+39
+0.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for Balmain. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Inner West (A).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Inner West (A)% | Count | % | Inner West (A)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 4,266 | 40.8% | 29.9% | 4,082 | 39.1% | 28.9% | +184 | +1.7pp |
| Australian | 2,889 | 27.6% | 24.4% | 2,883 | 27.6% | 23.0% | +6 | 0.0pp |
| Irish | 1,908 | 18.3% | 13.7% | 1,779 | 17.0% | 13.5% | +129 | +1.3pp |
| Scottish | 1,359 | 13.0% | 9.6% | 1,239 | 11.9% | 8.9% | +120 | +1.1pp |
| Italian | 494 | 4.7% | 6.8% | 437 | 4.2% | 6.4% | +57 | +0.5pp |
| Chinese | 451 | 4.3% | 8.5% | 332 | 3.2% | 8.1% | +119 | +1.1pp |
| German | 403 | 3.9% | 3.4% | 397 | 3.8% | 3.3% | +6 | +0.1pp |
| Greek | 208 | 2.0% | 4.3% | 194 | 1.9% | 4.1% | +14 | +0.1pp |
| Dutch | 178 | 1.7% | 1.3% | 146 | 1.4% | 1.1% | +32 | +0.3pp |
| Indian | 166 | 1.6% | 1.9% | 127 | 1.2% | 2.1% | +39 | +0.4pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).