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 Inner West (A) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Inner West (A) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Inner West (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Sydney and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Inner West (A), with comparison markers for Greater Sydney.
English
2021 count
54,645
% of total
14.9%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
54,645
14.9%
+0.5pp
Australian
2021 count
44,681
% of total
12.2%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
44,681
12.2%
+0.7pp
Irish
2021 count
25,010
% of total
6.8%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
25,010
6.8%
+0.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
17,619
% of total
4.8%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
17,619
4.8%
+0.4pp
Chinese
2021 count
15,463
% of total
4.2%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
15,463
4.2%
+0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
12,384
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
12,384
3.4%
+0.2pp
Greek
2021 count
7,792
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
7,792
2.1%
0.0pp
German
2021 count
6,153
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
6,153
1.7%
+0.1pp
Vietnamese
2021 count
4,345
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
4,345
1.2%
0.0pp
Indian
2021 count
3,544
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
3,544
1.0%
0.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+2,119
+0.5pp
Australian
+2,769
+0.7pp
Irish
+457
+0.1pp
Scottish
+1,432
+0.4pp
Chinese
+750
+0.2pp
Italian
+719
+0.2pp
Greek
+250
0.0pp
German
+197
+0.1pp
Vietnamese
+145
0.0pp
Indian
-226
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Inner West (A). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Sydney.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Sydney% | Count | % | Greater Sydney% | Count | pp | |
| English | 54,645 | 14.9% | 11.9% | 52,526 | 14.4% | 12.6% | +2,119 | +0.5pp |
| Australian | 44,681 | 12.2% | 11.2% | 41,912 | 11.5% | 11.8% | +2,769 | +0.7pp |
| Irish | 25,010 | 6.8% | 3.8% | 24,553 | 6.7% | 4.3% | +457 | +0.1pp |
| Scottish | 17,619 | 4.8% | 3.0% | 16,187 | 4.4% | 3.2% | +1,432 | +0.4pp |
| Chinese | 15,463 | 4.2% | 5.3% | 14,713 | 4.0% | 5.1% | +750 | +0.2pp |
| Italian | 12,384 | 3.4% | 2.1% | 11,665 | 3.2% | 2.1% | +719 | +0.2pp |
| Greek | 7,792 | 2.1% | 1.2% | 7,542 | 2.1% | 1.2% | +250 | 0.0pp |
| German | 6,153 | 1.7% | 1.2% | 5,956 | 1.6% | 1.3% | +197 | +0.1pp |
| Vietnamese | 4,345 | 1.2% | 1.1% | 4,200 | 1.2% | 1.1% | +145 | 0.0pp |
| Indian | 3,544 | 1.0% | 2.3% | 3,770 | 1.0% | 2.0% | -226 | 0.0pp |
| Total | 365,606 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 364,064 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +1,542 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).