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 Metford were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Metford - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Metford in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Maitland (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Metford, with comparison markers for Maitland (C).
Australian
2021 count
2,021
% of total
21.4%
Change from 2016
+7.1pp
2,021
21.4%
+7.1pp
English
2021 count
1,993
% of total
21.1%
Change from 2016
+3.4pp
1,993
21.1%
+3.4pp
Irish
2021 count
466
% of total
4.9%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
466
4.9%
-0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
464
% of total
4.9%
Change from 2016
-
464
4.9%
-
Scottish
2021 count
439
% of total
4.7%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
439
4.7%
+0.1pp
German
2021 count
184
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
184
2.0%
0.0pp
Chinese
2021 count
80
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
80
0.8%
-0.7pp
Italian
2021 count
79
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
-5.4pp
79
0.8%
-5.4pp
Dutch
2021 count
70
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
70
0.7%
-0.4pp
Filipino
2021 count
66
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
66
0.7%
+0.6pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+1,735
+7.1pp
English
+1,639
+3.4pp
Irish
+360
-0.4pp
Scottish
+347
+0.1pp
German
+144
0.0pp
Chinese
+50
-0.7pp
Italian
-46
-5.4pp
Dutch
+48
-0.4pp
Filipino
+63
+0.6pp
Polish
+49
+0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Metford. 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 | 2,021 | 21.4% | 22.2% | 286 | 14.3% | 22.8% | +1,735 | +7.1pp |
| English | 1,993 | 21.1% | 21.5% | 354 | 17.7% | 21.9% | +1,639 | +3.4pp |
| Irish | 466 | 4.9% | 5.3% | 106 | 5.3% | 6.2% | +360 | -0.4pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 464 | 4.9% | 3.6% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
| Scottish | 439 | 4.7% | 5.2% | 92 | 4.6% | 5.4% | +347 | +0.1pp |
| German | 184 | 2.0% | 2.2% | 40 | 2.0% | 2.4% | +144 | 0.0pp |
| Chinese | 80 | 0.8% | 0.5% | 30 | 1.5% | 0.4% | +50 | -0.7pp |
| Italian | 79 | 0.8% | 0.8% | 125 | 6.2% | 0.7% | -46 | -5.4pp |
| Dutch | 70 | 0.7% | 0.6% | 22 | 1.1% | 0.6% | +48 | -0.4pp |
| Filipino | 66 | 0.7% | 0.5% | 3 | 0.1% | 0.3% | +63 | +0.6pp |
| Total | 9,425 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2,001 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +7,424 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).