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 South Lismore were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
South Lismore - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for South Lismore in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Lismore (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for South Lismore, with comparison markers for Lismore (C).
Australian
2021 count
759
% of total
42.8%
Change from 2016
-1.9pp
759
42.8%
-1.9pp
English
2021 count
721
% of total
40.6%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
721
40.6%
+0.4pp
Irish
2021 count
246
% of total
13.9%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
246
13.9%
-0.9pp
Scottish
2021 count
218
% of total
12.3%
Change from 2016
+1.5pp
218
12.3%
+1.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
116
% of total
6.5%
Change from 2016
+5.9pp
116
6.5%
+5.9pp
German
2021 count
105
% of total
5.9%
Change from 2016
+2.3pp
105
5.9%
+2.3pp
Italian
2021 count
73
% of total
4.1%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
73
4.1%
+0.7pp
Dutch
2021 count
18
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
18
1.0%
+0.3pp
Welsh
2021 count
13
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
13
0.7%
+0.2pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
12
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-
12
0.7%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-81
-1.9pp
English
-34
+0.4pp
Irish
-32
-0.9pp
Scottish
+16
+1.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
+104
+5.9pp
German
+38
+2.3pp
Italian
+9
+0.7pp
Dutch
+5
+0.3pp
Welsh
+4
+0.2pp
French
+4
+0.3pp
Data table
Ancestry for South Lismore. 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 | 759 | 42.8% | 39.6% | 840 | 44.7% | 41.3% | -81 | -1.9pp |
| English | 721 | 40.6% | 41.2% | 755 | 40.2% | 41.3% | -34 | +0.4pp |
| Irish | 246 | 13.9% | 14.3% | 278 | 14.8% | 15.2% | -32 | -0.9pp |
| Scottish | 218 | 12.3% | 12.1% | 202 | 10.8% | 11.7% | +16 | +1.5pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 116 | 6.5% | 5.6% | 12 | 0.6% | 0.9% | +104 | +5.9pp |
| German | 105 | 5.9% | 4.8% | 67 | 3.6% | 4.7% | +38 | +2.3pp |
| Italian | 73 | 4.1% | 4.3% | 64 | 3.4% | 4.4% | +9 | +0.7pp |
| Dutch | 18 | 1.0% | 1.2% | 13 | 0.7% | 1.1% | +5 | +0.3pp |
| Welsh | 13 | 0.7% | 0.6% | 9 | 0.5% | 0.6% | +4 | +0.2pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 12 | 0.7% | 0.3% | - | - | 0.0% | - | - |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).