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 Summer Hill (Inner West - NSW) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Summer Hill (Inner West - NSW) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Summer Hill (Inner West - 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 Summer Hill (Inner West - NSW), with comparison markers for Inner West (A).
English
2021 count
2,100
% of total
28.8%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
2,100
28.8%
+0.7pp
Australian
2021 count
1,706
% of total
23.4%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
1,706
23.4%
+0.8pp
Irish
2021 count
1,030
% of total
14.1%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
1,030
14.1%
+0.6pp
Chinese
2021 count
752
% of total
10.3%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
752
10.3%
-0.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
743
% of total
10.2%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
743
10.2%
+0.8pp
Italian
2021 count
449
% of total
6.2%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
449
6.2%
+0.8pp
German
2021 count
275
% of total
3.8%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
275
3.8%
+0.4pp
Greek
2021 count
254
% of total
3.5%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
254
3.5%
+0.9pp
Indian
2021 count
163
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
163
2.2%
+0.2pp
Filipino
2021 count
161
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
161
2.2%
-0.5pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+47
+0.7pp
Australian
+56
+0.8pp
Irish
+46
+0.6pp
Chinese
-5
-0.1pp
Scottish
+59
+0.8pp
Italian
+52
+0.8pp
German
+30
+0.4pp
Greek
+65
+0.9pp
Indian
+18
+0.2pp
Filipino
-34
-0.5pp
Data table
Ancestry for Summer Hill (Inner West - 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 | 2,100 | 28.8% | 29.9% | 2,053 | 28.1% | 28.9% | +47 | +0.7pp |
| Australian | 1,706 | 23.4% | 24.4% | 1,650 | 22.6% | 23.0% | +56 | +0.8pp |
| Irish | 1,030 | 14.1% | 13.7% | 984 | 13.5% | 13.5% | +46 | +0.6pp |
| Chinese | 752 | 10.3% | 8.5% | 757 | 10.4% | 8.1% | -5 | -0.1pp |
| Scottish | 743 | 10.2% | 9.6% | 684 | 9.4% | 8.9% | +59 | +0.8pp |
| Italian | 449 | 6.2% | 6.8% | 397 | 5.4% | 6.4% | +52 | +0.8pp |
| German | 275 | 3.8% | 3.4% | 245 | 3.4% | 3.3% | +30 | +0.4pp |
| Greek | 254 | 3.5% | 4.3% | 189 | 2.6% | 4.1% | +65 | +0.9pp |
| Indian | 163 | 2.2% | 1.9% | 145 | 2.0% | 2.1% | +18 | +0.2pp |
| Filipino | 161 | 2.2% | 1.8% | 195 | 2.7% | 1.5% | -34 | -0.5pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).