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 Narrabri (A) were Australian, English and Australian Aboriginal.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Narrabri (A) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Narrabri (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Narrabri (A), with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
Australian
2021 count
5,966
% of total
23.5%
Change from 2016
-2.0pp
5,966
23.5%
-2.0pp
English
2021 count
4,629
% of total
18.2%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
4,629
18.2%
-0.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
1,641
% of total
6.5%
Change from 2016
+6.1pp
1,641
6.5%
+6.1pp
Irish
2021 count
1,257
% of total
5.0%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
1,257
5.0%
0.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,069
% of total
4.2%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
1,069
4.2%
-0.2pp
German
2021 count
433
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
433
1.7%
-0.1pp
Filipino
2021 count
96
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
96
0.4%
+0.2pp
Dutch
2021 count
82
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
82
0.3%
-0.1pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
77
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
-
77
0.3%
-
Chinese
2021 count
72
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
72
0.3%
0.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-707
-2.0pp
English
-248
-0.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
+1,535
+6.1pp
Irish
-43
0.0pp
Scottish
-70
-0.2pp
German
-26
-0.1pp
Filipino
+41
+0.2pp
Dutch
-23
-0.1pp
Chinese
-2
0.0pp
Italian
+6
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Narrabri (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 | |
| Australian | 5,966 | 23.5% | 20.1% | 6,673 | 25.5% | 21.3% | -707 | -2.0pp |
| English | 4,629 | 18.2% | 20.5% | 4,877 | 18.7% | 20.4% | -248 | -0.5pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 1,641 | 6.5% | 3.1% | 106 | 0.4% | 0.4% | +1,535 | +6.1pp |
| Irish | 1,257 | 5.0% | 5.9% | 1,300 | 5.0% | 6.1% | -43 | 0.0pp |
| Scottish | 1,069 | 4.2% | 5.4% | 1,139 | 4.4% | 5.3% | -70 | -0.2pp |
| German | 433 | 1.7% | 2.1% | 459 | 1.8% | 2.1% | -26 | -0.1pp |
| Filipino | 96 | 0.4% | 0.4% | 55 | 0.2% | 0.3% | +41 | +0.2pp |
| Dutch | 82 | 0.3% | 0.7% | 105 | 0.4% | 0.6% | -23 | -0.1pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 77 | 0.3% | 0.1% | - | - | 0.0% | - | - |
| Chinese | 72 | 0.3% | 0.5% | 74 | 0.3% | 0.5% | -2 | 0.0pp |
| Total | 25,385 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 26,149 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -764 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).