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 Wingham were Australian, English and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Wingham - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Wingham in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mid-Coast (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Wingham, with comparison markers for Mid-Coast (A).
Australian
2021 count
2,468
% of total
45.7%
Change from 2016
-2.2pp
2,468
45.7%
-2.2pp
English
2021 count
2,466
% of total
45.7%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
2,466
45.7%
-0.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
552
% of total
10.2%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
552
10.2%
-0.8pp
Irish
2021 count
507
% of total
9.4%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
507
9.4%
-0.9pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
373
% of total
6.9%
Change from 2016
+6.0pp
373
6.9%
+6.0pp
German
2021 count
180
% of total
3.3%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
180
3.3%
-0.4pp
Italian
2021 count
89
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
89
1.6%
0.0pp
Dutch
2021 count
54
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
54
1.0%
+0.1pp
Chinese
2021 count
30
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
30
0.6%
+0.1pp
Maltese
2021 count
29
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
29
0.5%
-0.2pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-104
-2.2pp
English
+3
-0.1pp
Scottish
-39
-0.8pp
Irish
-48
-0.9pp
Australian Aboriginal
+325
+6.0pp
German
-18
-0.4pp
Italian
+2
0.0pp
Dutch
+6
+0.1pp
Chinese
+4
+0.1pp
Maltese
-9
-0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Wingham. 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 | 2,468 | 45.7% | 42.4% | 2,572 | 47.9% | 45.1% | -104 | -2.2pp |
| English | 2,466 | 45.7% | 43.9% | 2,463 | 45.8% | 44.1% | +3 | -0.1pp |
| Scottish | 552 | 10.2% | 10.8% | 591 | 11.0% | 10.6% | -39 | -0.8pp |
| Irish | 507 | 9.4% | 11.0% | 555 | 10.3% | 10.9% | -48 | -0.9pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 373 | 6.9% | 6.7% | 48 | 0.9% | 1.0% | +325 | +6.0pp |
| German | 180 | 3.3% | 3.8% | 198 | 3.7% | 3.9% | -18 | -0.4pp |
| Italian | 89 | 1.6% | 1.7% | 87 | 1.6% | 1.5% | +2 | 0.0pp |
| Dutch | 54 | 1.0% | 1.2% | 48 | 0.9% | 1.2% | +6 | +0.1pp |
| Chinese | 30 | 0.6% | 0.7% | 26 | 0.5% | 0.6% | +4 | +0.1pp |
| Maltese | 29 | 0.5% | 0.6% | 38 | 0.7% | 0.6% | -9 | -0.2pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).