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
29.9%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
54,645
29.9%
+1.0pp
Australian
2021 count
44,681
% of total
24.4%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
44,681
24.4%
+1.4pp
Irish
2021 count
25,010
% of total
13.7%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
25,010
13.7%
+0.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
17,619
% of total
9.6%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
17,619
9.6%
+0.7pp
Chinese
2021 count
15,463
% of total
8.5%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
15,463
8.5%
+0.4pp
Italian
2021 count
12,384
% of total
6.8%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
12,384
6.8%
+0.4pp
Greek
2021 count
7,792
% of total
4.3%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
7,792
4.3%
+0.2pp
German
2021 count
6,153
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
6,153
3.4%
+0.1pp
Vietnamese
2021 count
4,345
% of total
2.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
4,345
2.4%
+0.1pp
Indian
2021 count
3,544
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
3,544
1.9%
-0.2pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+2,119
+1.0pp
Australian
+2,769
+1.4pp
Irish
+457
+0.2pp
Scottish
+1,432
+0.7pp
Chinese
+750
+0.4pp
Italian
+719
+0.4pp
Greek
+250
+0.2pp
German
+197
+0.1pp
Vietnamese
+145
+0.1pp
Indian
-226
-0.2pp
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 | 29.9% | 23.8% | 52,526 | 28.9% | 25.3% | +2,119 | +1.0pp |
| Australian | 44,681 | 24.4% | 22.3% | 41,912 | 23.0% | 23.5% | +2,769 | +1.4pp |
| Irish | 25,010 | 13.7% | 7.7% | 24,553 | 13.5% | 8.6% | +457 | +0.2pp |
| Scottish | 17,619 | 9.6% | 6.0% | 16,187 | 8.9% | 6.4% | +1,432 | +0.7pp |
| Chinese | 15,463 | 8.5% | 10.6% | 14,713 | 8.1% | 10.1% | +750 | +0.4pp |
| Italian | 12,384 | 6.8% | 4.3% | 11,665 | 6.4% | 4.2% | +719 | +0.4pp |
| Greek | 7,792 | 4.3% | 2.4% | 7,542 | 4.1% | 2.4% | +250 | +0.2pp |
| German | 6,153 | 3.4% | 2.3% | 5,956 | 3.3% | 2.5% | +197 | +0.1pp |
| Vietnamese | 4,345 | 2.4% | 2.3% | 4,200 | 2.3% | 2.2% | +145 | +0.1pp |
| Indian | 3,544 | 1.9% | 4.5% | 3,770 | 2.1% | 4.0% | -226 | -0.2pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).