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 Lismore (NSW) were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Lismore (NSW) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Lismore (NSW) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Lismore (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Lismore (NSW), with comparison markers for Lismore (C).
Australian
2021 count
1,393
% of total
38.1%
Change from 2016
-1.3pp
1,393
38.1%
-1.3pp
English
2021 count
1,375
% of total
37.6%
Change from 2016
-3.7pp
1,375
37.6%
-3.7pp
Irish
2021 count
502
% of total
13.7%
Change from 2016
-4.0pp
502
13.7%
-4.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
441
% of total
12.1%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
441
12.1%
+0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
231
% of total
6.3%
Change from 2016
+4.9pp
231
6.3%
+4.9pp
German
2021 count
176
% of total
4.8%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
176
4.8%
+0.5pp
Italian
2021 count
121
% of total
3.3%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
121
3.3%
-0.6pp
Dutch
2021 count
38
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
38
1.0%
+0.1pp
Filipino
2021 count
36
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
36
1.0%
+0.2pp
Chinese
2021 count
33
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
33
0.9%
-0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-18
-1.3pp
English
-103
-3.7pp
Irish
-132
-4.0pp
Scottish
+15
+0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
+181
+4.9pp
German
+21
+0.5pp
Italian
-20
-0.6pp
Dutch
+5
+0.1pp
Filipino
+9
+0.2pp
Chinese
-2
-0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Lismore (NSW). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Lismore (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Lismore (C)% | Count | % | Lismore (C)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 1,393 | 38.1% | 39.6% | 1,411 | 39.4% | 41.3% | -18 | -1.3pp |
| English | 1,375 | 37.6% | 41.2% | 1,478 | 41.3% | 41.3% | -103 | -3.7pp |
| Irish | 502 | 13.7% | 14.3% | 634 | 17.7% | 15.2% | -132 | -4.0pp |
| Scottish | 441 | 12.1% | 12.1% | 426 | 11.9% | 11.7% | +15 | +0.2pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 231 | 6.3% | 5.6% | 50 | 1.4% | 0.9% | +181 | +4.9pp |
| German | 176 | 4.8% | 4.8% | 155 | 4.3% | 4.7% | +21 | +0.5pp |
| Italian | 121 | 3.3% | 4.3% | 141 | 3.9% | 4.4% | -20 | -0.6pp |
| Dutch | 38 | 1.0% | 1.2% | 33 | 0.9% | 1.1% | +5 | +0.1pp |
| Filipino | 36 | 1.0% | 0.7% | 27 | 0.8% | 0.5% | +9 | +0.2pp |
| Chinese | 33 | 0.9% | 0.8% | 35 | 1.0% | 0.7% | -2 | -0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).