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 Nambucca (A) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Nambucca (A) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Nambucca (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Nambucca (A), with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
English
2021 count
8,815
% of total
21.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
8,815
21.6%
+0.1pp
Australian
2021 count
8,373
% of total
20.5%
Change from 2016
-1.9pp
8,373
20.5%
-1.9pp
Irish
2021 count
2,375
% of total
5.8%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
2,375
5.8%
0.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
2,285
% of total
5.6%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
2,285
5.6%
+0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
1,509
% of total
3.7%
Change from 2016
+2.8pp
1,509
3.7%
+2.8pp
German
2021 count
814
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
814
2.0%
0.0pp
Italian
2021 count
376
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
376
0.9%
+0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
242
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
242
0.6%
+0.1pp
Welsh
2021 count
124
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
124
0.3%
0.0pp
New Zealander
2021 count
113
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
113
0.3%
0.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+544
+0.1pp
Australian
-235
-1.9pp
Irish
+141
0.0pp
Scottish
+269
+0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
+1,162
+2.8pp
German
+65
0.0pp
Italian
+86
+0.1pp
Dutch
+38
+0.1pp
Welsh
+16
0.0pp
New Zealander
-18
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Nambucca (A). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional NSW.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional NSW% | Count | % | Regional NSW% | Count | pp | |
| English | 8,815 | 21.6% | 20.5% | 8,271 | 21.5% | 20.4% | +544 | +0.1pp |
| Australian | 8,373 | 20.5% | 20.1% | 8,608 | 22.4% | 21.3% | -235 | -1.9pp |
| Irish | 2,375 | 5.8% | 5.9% | 2,234 | 5.8% | 6.1% | +141 | 0.0pp |
| Scottish | 2,285 | 5.6% | 5.4% | 2,016 | 5.2% | 5.3% | +269 | +0.4pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 1,509 | 3.7% | 3.1% | 347 | 0.9% | 0.4% | +1,162 | +2.8pp |
| German | 814 | 2.0% | 2.1% | 749 | 2.0% | 2.1% | +65 | 0.0pp |
| Italian | 376 | 0.9% | 1.4% | 290 | 0.8% | 1.3% | +86 | +0.1pp |
| Dutch | 242 | 0.6% | 0.7% | 204 | 0.5% | 0.6% | +38 | +0.1pp |
| Welsh | 124 | 0.3% | 0.3% | 108 | 0.3% | 0.3% | +16 | 0.0pp |
| New Zealander | 113 | 0.3% | 0.3% | 131 | 0.3% | 0.3% | -18 | 0.0pp |
| Total | 40,768 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 38,410 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +2,358 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).