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 Ku-ring-gai (A) were English, Chinese and Australian.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Ku-ring-gai (A) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Ku-ring-gai (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Sydney and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Ku-ring-gai (A), with comparison markers for Greater Sydney.
English
2021 count
36,699
% of total
14.8%
Change from 2016
-1.5pp
36,699
14.8%
-1.5pp
Chinese
2021 count
29,098
% of total
11.7%
Change from 2016
+2.9pp
29,098
11.7%
+2.9pp
Australian
2021 count
28,496
% of total
11.5%
Change from 2016
-1.0pp
28,496
11.5%
-1.0pp
Irish
2021 count
10,804
% of total
4.4%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
10,804
4.4%
-0.8pp
Scottish
2021 count
10,647
% of total
4.3%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
10,647
4.3%
-0.3pp
Indian
2021 count
4,281
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
4,281
1.7%
+0.3pp
Korean
2021 count
3,697
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
3,697
1.5%
+0.1pp
German
2021 count
3,683
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
3,683
1.5%
-0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
3,068
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
3,068
1.2%
0.0pp
South African
2021 count
2,641
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
2,641
1.1%
-0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
-1,690
-1.5pp
Chinese
+8,227
+2.9pp
Australian
-989
-1.0pp
Irish
-1,376
-0.8pp
Scottish
-277
-0.3pp
Indian
+865
+0.3pp
Korean
+360
+0.1pp
German
-126
-0.1pp
Italian
+138
0.0pp
South African
-120
-0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Ku-ring-gai (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 | 36,699 | 14.8% | 11.9% | 38,389 | 16.3% | 12.6% | -1,690 | -1.5pp |
| Chinese | 29,098 | 11.7% | 5.3% | 20,871 | 8.8% | 5.1% | +8,227 | +2.9pp |
| Australian | 28,496 | 11.5% | 11.2% | 29,485 | 12.5% | 11.8% | -989 | -1.0pp |
| Irish | 10,804 | 4.4% | 3.8% | 12,180 | 5.2% | 4.3% | -1,376 | -0.8pp |
| Scottish | 10,647 | 4.3% | 3.0% | 10,924 | 4.6% | 3.2% | -277 | -0.3pp |
| Indian | 4,281 | 1.7% | 2.3% | 3,416 | 1.4% | 2.0% | +865 | +0.3pp |
| Korean | 3,697 | 1.5% | 0.7% | 3,337 | 1.4% | 0.7% | +360 | +0.1pp |
| German | 3,683 | 1.5% | 1.2% | 3,809 | 1.6% | 1.3% | -126 | -0.1pp |
| Italian | 3,068 | 1.2% | 2.1% | 2,930 | 1.2% | 2.1% | +138 | 0.0pp |
| South African | 2,641 | 1.1% | 0.3% | 2,761 | 1.2% | 0.3% | -120 | -0.1pp |
| Total | 248,151 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 236,023 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +12,128 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).