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 Lake Cargelligo were Australian, English and Australian Aboriginal.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Lake Cargelligo - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Lake Cargelligo in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Lachlan (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Lake Cargelligo, with comparison markers for Lachlan (A).
Australian
2021 count
600
% of total
42.0%
Change from 2016
-7.4pp
600
42.0%
-7.4pp
English
2021 count
437
% of total
30.6%
Change from 2016
-2.5pp
437
30.6%
-2.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
240
% of total
16.8%
Change from 2016
+16.1pp
240
16.8%
+16.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
131
% of total
9.2%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
131
9.2%
+0.8pp
Irish
2021 count
107
% of total
7.5%
Change from 2016
-1.0pp
107
7.5%
-1.0pp
German
2021 count
43
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
43
3.0%
-0.6pp
Indian
2021 count
16
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
-
16
1.1%
-
Chinese
2021 count
15
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
15
1.0%
+0.5pp
Italian
2021 count
11
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
11
0.8%
+0.5pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-131
-7.4pp
English
-53
-2.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
+229
+16.1pp
Scottish
+7
+0.8pp
Irish
-18
-1.0pp
German
-10
-0.6pp
Chinese
+7
+0.5pp
Italian
+7
+0.5pp
Data table
Ancestry for Lake Cargelligo. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Lachlan (A).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Lachlan (A)% | Count | % | Lachlan (A)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 600 | 42.0% | 41.6% | 731 | 49.4% | 51.7% | -131 | -7.4pp |
| English | 437 | 30.6% | 33.5% | 490 | 33.1% | 35.8% | -53 | -2.5pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 240 | 16.8% | 17.0% | 11 | 0.7% | 1.9% | +229 | +16.1pp |
| Scottish | 131 | 9.2% | 8.8% | 124 | 8.4% | 7.5% | +7 | +0.8pp |
| Irish | 107 | 7.5% | 9.5% | 125 | 8.5% | 8.9% | -18 | -1.0pp |
| German | 43 | 3.0% | 2.8% | 53 | 3.6% | 3.0% | -10 | -0.6pp |
| Indian | 16 | 1.1% | 0.6% | - | - | 0.2% | - | - |
| Chinese | 15 | 1.0% | 0.5% | 8 | 0.5% | 0.4% | +7 | +0.5pp |
| Italian | 11 | 0.8% | 0.6% | 4 | 0.3% | 0.5% | +7 | +0.5pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).