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 Macksville were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Macksville - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Macksville in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Nambucca (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Macksville, with comparison markers for Nambucca (A).
Australian
2021 count
1,230
% of total
44.2%
Change from 2016
-4.4pp
1,230
44.2%
-4.4pp
English
2021 count
1,156
% of total
41.6%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
1,156
41.6%
+1.4pp
Irish
2021 count
299
% of total
10.7%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
299
10.7%
-0.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
267
% of total
9.6%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
267
9.6%
+0.9pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
259
% of total
9.3%
Change from 2016
+8.7pp
259
9.3%
+8.7pp
German
2021 count
112
% of total
4.0%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
112
4.0%
-0.3pp
Italian
2021 count
43
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
43
1.5%
-0.2pp
Dutch
2021 count
36
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
36
1.3%
+0.5pp
Indian
2021 count
22
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
22
0.8%
+0.5pp
Sikh
2021 count
18
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
18
0.6%
+0.5pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-33
-4.4pp
English
+112
+1.4pp
Irish
+18
-0.1pp
Scottish
+42
+0.9pp
Australian Aboriginal
+243
+8.7pp
German
0
-0.3pp
Italian
0
-0.2pp
Dutch
+14
+0.5pp
Indian
+13
+0.5pp
Sikh
+15
+0.5pp
Data table
Ancestry for Macksville. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Nambucca (A).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Nambucca (A)% | Count | % | Nambucca (A)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 1,230 | 44.2% | 41.0% | 1,263 | 48.6% | 44.8% | -33 | -4.4pp |
| English | 1,156 | 41.6% | 43.2% | 1,044 | 40.2% | 43.1% | +112 | +1.4pp |
| Irish | 299 | 10.7% | 11.6% | 281 | 10.8% | 11.6% | +18 | -0.1pp |
| Scottish | 267 | 9.6% | 11.2% | 225 | 8.7% | 10.5% | +42 | +0.9pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 259 | 9.3% | 7.4% | 16 | 0.6% | 1.8% | +243 | +8.7pp |
| German | 112 | 4.0% | 4.0% | 112 | 4.3% | 3.9% | 0 | -0.3pp |
| Italian | 43 | 1.5% | 1.8% | 43 | 1.7% | 1.5% | 0 | -0.2pp |
| Dutch | 36 | 1.3% | 1.2% | 22 | 0.8% | 1.1% | +14 | +0.5pp |
| Indian | 22 | 0.8% | 0.5% | 9 | 0.3% | 0.2% | +13 | +0.5pp |
| Sikh | 18 | 0.6% | 0.1% | 3 | 0.1% | 0.0% | +15 | +0.5pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).