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 Leichhardt (NSW) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Leichhardt (NSW) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Leichhardt (NSW) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Inner West (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Leichhardt (NSW), with comparison markers for Inner West (A).
English
2021 count
4,948
% of total
32.6%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
4,948
32.6%
-0.4pp
Australian
2021 count
4,145
% of total
27.3%
Change from 2016
+1.3pp
4,145
27.3%
+1.3pp
Irish
2021 count
2,265
% of total
14.9%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
2,265
14.9%
-0.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,610
% of total
10.6%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
1,610
10.6%
+0.8pp
Italian
2021 count
1,563
% of total
10.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
1,563
10.3%
0.0pp
Chinese
2021 count
883
% of total
5.8%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
883
5.8%
+1.4pp
German
2021 count
592
% of total
3.9%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
592
3.9%
0.0pp
Greek
2021 count
419
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
419
2.8%
+0.2pp
Indian
2021 count
255
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
255
1.7%
+0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
230
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
230
1.5%
+0.3pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+128
-0.4pp
Australian
+346
+1.3pp
Irish
+61
-0.2pp
Scottish
+175
+0.8pp
Italian
+57
0.0pp
Chinese
+246
+1.4pp
German
+26
0.0pp
Greek
+44
+0.2pp
Indian
+21
+0.1pp
Dutch
+48
+0.3pp
Data table
Ancestry for Leichhardt (NSW). 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 | 4,948 | 32.6% | 29.9% | 4,820 | 33.0% | 28.9% | +128 | -0.4pp |
| Australian | 4,145 | 27.3% | 24.4% | 3,799 | 26.0% | 23.0% | +346 | +1.3pp |
| Irish | 2,265 | 14.9% | 13.7% | 2,204 | 15.1% | 13.5% | +61 | -0.2pp |
| Scottish | 1,610 | 10.6% | 9.6% | 1,435 | 9.8% | 8.9% | +175 | +0.8pp |
| Italian | 1,563 | 10.3% | 6.8% | 1,506 | 10.3% | 6.4% | +57 | 0.0pp |
| Chinese | 883 | 5.8% | 8.5% | 637 | 4.4% | 8.1% | +246 | +1.4pp |
| German | 592 | 3.9% | 3.4% | 566 | 3.9% | 3.3% | +26 | 0.0pp |
| Greek | 419 | 2.8% | 4.3% | 375 | 2.6% | 4.1% | +44 | +0.2pp |
| Indian | 255 | 1.7% | 1.9% | 234 | 1.6% | 2.1% | +21 | +0.1pp |
| Dutch | 230 | 1.5% | 1.3% | 182 | 1.2% | 1.1% | +48 | +0.3pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).