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 Petersham were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Petersham - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Petersham in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Inner West (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Petersham, with comparison markers for Inner West (A).
English
2021 count
2,709
% of total
16.6%
Change from 2016
-6.9pp
2,709
16.6%
-6.9pp
Australian
2021 count
2,176
% of total
13.3%
Change from 2016
-6.3pp
2,176
13.3%
-6.3pp
Irish
2021 count
1,270
% of total
7.8%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
1,270
7.8%
-0.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
887
% of total
5.4%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
887
5.4%
-0.8pp
Italian
2021 count
489
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
+1.5pp
489
3.0%
+1.5pp
Chinese
2021 count
433
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
-
433
2.6%
-
Greek
2021 count
302
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
+1.2pp
302
1.8%
+1.2pp
German
2021 count
282
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
-1.4pp
282
1.7%
-1.4pp
Portuguese
2021 count
227
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
-
227
1.4%
-
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
154
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
-
154
0.9%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+2,557
-6.9pp
Australian
+2,049
-6.3pp
Irish
+1,217
-0.4pp
Scottish
+847
-0.8pp
Italian
+479
+1.5pp
Greek
+298
+1.2pp
German
+262
-1.4pp
Filipino
+101
0.0pp
Dutch
+85
0.0pp
French
+84
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Petersham. 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 | 2,709 | 16.6% | 14.9% | 152 | 23.5% | 14.4% | +2,557 | -6.9pp |
| Australian | 2,176 | 13.3% | 12.2% | 127 | 19.6% | 11.5% | +2,049 | -6.3pp |
| Irish | 1,270 | 7.8% | 6.8% | 53 | 8.2% | 6.7% | +1,217 | -0.4pp |
| Scottish | 887 | 5.4% | 4.8% | 40 | 6.2% | 4.4% | +847 | -0.8pp |
| Italian | 489 | 3.0% | 3.4% | 10 | 1.5% | 3.2% | +479 | +1.5pp |
| Chinese | 433 | 2.6% | 4.2% | - | - | 4.0% | - | - |
| Greek | 302 | 1.8% | 2.1% | 4 | 0.6% | 2.1% | +298 | +1.2pp |
| German | 282 | 1.7% | 1.7% | 20 | 3.1% | 1.6% | +262 | -1.4pp |
| Portuguese | 227 | 1.4% | 0.6% | - | - | 0.6% | - | - |
| Australian Aboriginal | 154 | 0.9% | 0.6% | - | - | 0.1% | - | - |
| Total | 16,347 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 647 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +15,700 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).