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 Taree were Australian, English and Australian Aboriginal.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Taree - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Taree in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mid-Coast (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Taree, with comparison markers for Mid-Coast (A).
Australian
2021 count
6,952
% of total
41.6%
Change from 2016
-5.5pp
6,952
41.6%
-5.5pp
English
2021 count
6,799
% of total
40.7%
Change from 2016
-1.6pp
6,799
40.7%
-1.6pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
1,930
% of total
11.5%
Change from 2016
+10.3pp
1,930
11.5%
+10.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,562
% of total
9.3%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
1,562
9.3%
-0.7pp
Irish
2021 count
1,508
% of total
9.0%
Change from 2016
-1.0pp
1,508
9.0%
-1.0pp
German
2021 count
572
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
572
3.4%
-0.5pp
Italian
2021 count
228
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
228
1.4%
+0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
196
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
196
1.2%
+0.2pp
Filipino
2021 count
189
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
189
1.1%
+0.4pp
Indian
2021 count
175
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
175
1.0%
+0.2pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-684
-5.5pp
English
-50
-1.6pp
Australian Aboriginal
+1,734
+10.3pp
Scottish
-50
-0.7pp
Irish
-111
-1.0pp
German
-53
-0.5pp
Italian
+10
+0.1pp
Dutch
+35
+0.2pp
Filipino
+71
+0.4pp
Indian
+40
+0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Taree. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mid-Coast (A).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Mid-Coast (A)% | Count | % | Mid-Coast (A)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 6,952 | 41.6% | 42.4% | 7,636 | 47.1% | 45.1% | -684 | -5.5pp |
| English | 6,799 | 40.7% | 43.9% | 6,849 | 42.3% | 44.1% | -50 | -1.6pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 1,930 | 11.5% | 6.7% | 196 | 1.2% | 1.0% | +1,734 | +10.3pp |
| Scottish | 1,562 | 9.3% | 10.8% | 1,612 | 10.0% | 10.6% | -50 | -0.7pp |
| Irish | 1,508 | 9.0% | 11.0% | 1,619 | 10.0% | 10.9% | -111 | -1.0pp |
| German | 572 | 3.4% | 3.8% | 625 | 3.9% | 3.9% | -53 | -0.5pp |
| Italian | 228 | 1.4% | 1.7% | 218 | 1.3% | 1.5% | +10 | +0.1pp |
| Dutch | 196 | 1.2% | 1.2% | 161 | 1.0% | 1.2% | +35 | +0.2pp |
| Filipino | 189 | 1.1% | 0.6% | 118 | 0.7% | 0.4% | +71 | +0.4pp |
| Indian | 175 | 1.0% | 0.4% | 135 | 0.8% | 0.3% | +40 | +0.2pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).