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 Boolambayte were English, Australian and Irish.

Section overview

Ancestry - Ranked by size

Boolambayte - Total persons (Usual residence)

This table summarises ancestry for Boolambayte in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mid-Coast (A) and change since 2016.

Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Boolambayte, with comparison markers for Mid-Coast (A).

Boolambayte
Mid-Coast (A)

English

2021 count

38

% of total

44.7%

Change from 2016

+6.8pp

Australian

2021 count

26

% of total

30.6%

Change from 2016

-10.8pp

Irish

2021 count

16

% of total

18.8%

Change from 2016

-0.7pp

Data table

Ancestry for Boolambayte. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mid-Coast (A).

Ancestry for Boolambayte. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mid-Coast (A).
Ancestry for Boolambayte. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mid-Coast (A).
Category20212016Change
Count%Mid-Coast (A)%Count%Mid-Coast (A)%Countpp
English3844.7%43.9%3337.9%44.1%+5+6.8pp
Australian2630.6%42.4%3641.4%45.1%-10-10.8pp
Irish1618.8%11.0%1719.5%10.9%-1-0.7pp

Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).