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 Liverpool Plains (A) were Australian, English and Australian Aboriginal.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Liverpool Plains (A) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Liverpool Plains (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Liverpool Plains (A), with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
Australian
2021 count
3,242
% of total
21.5%
Change from 2016
-4.3pp
3,242
21.5%
-4.3pp
English
2021 count
2,977
% of total
19.7%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
2,977
19.7%
+0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
1,025
% of total
6.8%
Change from 2016
+5.9pp
1,025
6.8%
+5.9pp
Irish
2021 count
764
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
764
5.1%
+0.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
746
% of total
4.9%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
746
4.9%
-0.4pp
German
2021 count
211
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
211
1.4%
-0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
71
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
71
0.5%
+0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
54
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
54
0.4%
0.0pp
Chinese
2021 count
49
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
49
0.3%
+0.1pp
New Zealander
2021 count
33
% of total
0.2%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
33
0.2%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-717
-4.3pp
English
+9
+0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
+883
+5.9pp
Irish
+29
+0.3pp
Scottish
-71
-0.4pp
German
-24
-0.1pp
Italian
+11
+0.1pp
Dutch
0
0.0pp
Chinese
+14
+0.1pp
New Zealander
+11
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Liverpool Plains (A). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional NSW.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional NSW% | Count | % | Regional NSW% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 3,242 | 21.5% | 20.1% | 3,959 | 25.8% | 21.3% | -717 | -4.3pp |
| English | 2,977 | 19.7% | 20.5% | 2,968 | 19.3% | 20.4% | +9 | +0.4pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 1,025 | 6.8% | 3.1% | 142 | 0.9% | 0.4% | +883 | +5.9pp |
| Irish | 764 | 5.1% | 5.9% | 735 | 4.8% | 6.1% | +29 | +0.3pp |
| Scottish | 746 | 4.9% | 5.4% | 817 | 5.3% | 5.3% | -71 | -0.4pp |
| German | 211 | 1.4% | 2.1% | 235 | 1.5% | 2.1% | -24 | -0.1pp |
| Italian | 71 | 0.5% | 1.4% | 60 | 0.4% | 1.3% | +11 | +0.1pp |
| Dutch | 54 | 0.4% | 0.7% | 54 | 0.4% | 0.6% | 0 | 0.0pp |
| Chinese | 49 | 0.3% | 0.5% | 35 | 0.2% | 0.5% | +14 | +0.1pp |
| New Zealander | 33 | 0.2% | 0.3% | 22 | 0.1% | 0.3% | +11 | +0.1pp |
| Total | 15,089 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 15,352 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -263 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).