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 Largs were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Largs - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Largs in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Maitland (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Largs, with comparison markers for Maitland (C).
Australian
2021 count
902
% of total
46.0%
Change from 2016
-2.5pp
902
46.0%
-2.5pp
English
2021 count
887
% of total
45.2%
Change from 2016
-2.1pp
887
45.2%
-2.1pp
Irish
2021 count
254
% of total
12.9%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
254
12.9%
+0.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
218
% of total
11.1%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
218
11.1%
+0.6pp
German
2021 count
110
% of total
5.6%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
110
5.6%
+0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
109
% of total
5.6%
Change from 2016
+5.4pp
109
5.6%
+5.4pp
Italian
2021 count
29
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
29
1.5%
0.0pp
Dutch
2021 count
18
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
18
0.9%
+0.1pp
Welsh
2021 count
16
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
16
0.8%
-0.2pp
Maltese
2021 count
13
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
13
0.7%
+0.5pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-38
-2.5pp
English
-31
-2.1pp
Irish
+6
+0.1pp
Scottish
+14
+0.6pp
German
+9
+0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
+106
+5.4pp
Italian
-1
0.0pp
Dutch
+2
+0.1pp
Welsh
-3
-0.2pp
Maltese
+10
+0.5pp
Data table
Ancestry for Largs. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Maitland (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Maitland (C)% | Count | % | Maitland (C)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 902 | 46.0% | 44.3% | 940 | 48.5% | 45.6% | -38 | -2.5pp |
| English | 887 | 45.2% | 43.1% | 918 | 47.3% | 43.9% | -31 | -2.1pp |
| Irish | 254 | 12.9% | 10.7% | 248 | 12.8% | 12.3% | +6 | +0.1pp |
| Scottish | 218 | 11.1% | 10.5% | 204 | 10.5% | 10.8% | +14 | +0.6pp |
| German | 110 | 5.6% | 4.3% | 101 | 5.2% | 4.7% | +9 | +0.4pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 109 | 5.6% | 7.2% | 3 | 0.2% | 0.5% | +106 | +5.4pp |
| Italian | 29 | 1.5% | 1.6% | 30 | 1.5% | 1.5% | -1 | 0.0pp |
| Dutch | 18 | 0.9% | 1.3% | 16 | 0.8% | 1.2% | +2 | +0.1pp |
| Welsh | 16 | 0.8% | 0.8% | 19 | 1.0% | 0.8% | -3 | -0.2pp |
| Maltese | 13 | 0.7% | 0.4% | 3 | 0.2% | 0.3% | +10 | +0.5pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).