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 No usual address (NSW) were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
No usual address (NSW) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for No usual address (NSW) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against New South Wales and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for No usual address (NSW), with comparison markers for New South Wales.
Australian
2021 count
2,888
% of total
25.4%
Change from 2016
-1.1pp
2,888
25.4%
-1.1pp
English
2021 count
2,715
% of total
23.9%
Change from 2016
-2.7pp
2,715
23.9%
-2.7pp
Irish
2021 count
821
% of total
7.2%
Change from 2016
-1.3pp
821
7.2%
-1.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
752
% of total
6.6%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
752
6.6%
-0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
666
% of total
5.9%
Change from 2016
+5.0pp
666
5.9%
+5.0pp
German
2021 count
314
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
314
2.8%
-0.5pp
Chinese
2021 count
262
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
-1.5pp
262
2.3%
-1.5pp
Italian
2021 count
231
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
231
2.0%
-0.2pp
Dutch
2021 count
121
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
121
1.1%
-0.1pp
Indian
2021 count
92
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
92
0.8%
-0.4pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-363
-1.1pp
English
-558
-2.7pp
Irish
-219
-1.3pp
Scottish
-91
-0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
+559
+5.0pp
German
-87
-0.5pp
Chinese
-207
-1.5pp
Italian
-37
-0.2pp
Dutch
-24
-0.1pp
Indian
-54
-0.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for No usual address (NSW). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with New South Wales.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | New South Wales% | Count | % | New South Wales% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 2,888 | 25.4% | 28.6% | 3,251 | 26.5% | 30.3% | -363 | -1.1pp |
| English | 2,715 | 23.9% | 29.8% | 3,273 | 26.6% | 31.0% | -558 | -2.7pp |
| Irish | 821 | 7.2% | 9.1% | 1,040 | 8.5% | 10.0% | -219 | -1.3pp |
| Scottish | 752 | 6.6% | 7.7% | 843 | 6.9% | 7.9% | -91 | -0.3pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 666 | 5.9% | 3.2% | 107 | 0.9% | 0.4% | +559 | +5.0pp |
| German | 314 | 2.8% | 3.0% | 401 | 3.3% | 3.2% | -87 | -0.5pp |
| Chinese | 262 | 2.3% | 7.2% | 469 | 3.8% | 6.8% | -207 | -1.5pp |
| Italian | 231 | 2.0% | 3.7% | 268 | 2.2% | 3.7% | -37 | -0.2pp |
| Dutch | 121 | 1.1% | 1.1% | 145 | 1.2% | 1.1% | -24 | -0.1pp |
| Indian | 92 | 0.8% | 3.2% | 146 | 1.2% | 2.9% | -54 | -0.4pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).