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 North Parramatta were English, Australian and Chinese.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
North Parramatta - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for North Parramatta in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Parramatta (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for North Parramatta, with comparison markers for Parramatta (C).
English
2021 count
2,026
% of total
16.8%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
2,026
16.8%
+0.9pp
Australian
2021 count
1,994
% of total
16.5%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
1,994
16.5%
+0.3pp
Chinese
2021 count
1,334
% of total
11.1%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
1,334
11.1%
-0.2pp
Indian
2021 count
1,166
% of total
9.7%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
1,166
9.7%
-0.4pp
Lebanese
2021 count
849
% of total
7.0%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
849
7.0%
+1.0pp
Irish
2021 count
722
% of total
6.0%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
722
6.0%
-0.5pp
Scottish
2021 count
564
% of total
4.7%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
564
4.7%
+0.1pp
Filipino
2021 count
496
% of total
4.1%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
496
4.1%
+0.7pp
Iranian
2021 count
341
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
341
2.8%
-0.8pp
Korean
2021 count
297
% of total
2.5%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
297
2.5%
-0.5pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
-95
+0.9pp
Australian
-166
+0.3pp
Chinese
-171
-0.2pp
Indian
-180
-0.4pp
Lebanese
+44
+1.0pp
Irish
-148
-0.5pp
Scottish
-50
+0.1pp
Filipino
+38
+0.7pp
Iranian
-134
-0.8pp
Korean
-101
-0.5pp
Data table
Ancestry for North Parramatta. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Parramatta (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Parramatta (C)% | Count | % | Parramatta (C)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 2,026 | 16.8% | 14.4% | 2,121 | 15.9% | 16.7% | -95 | +0.9pp |
| Australian | 1,994 | 16.5% | 13.9% | 2,160 | 16.2% | 16.0% | -166 | +0.3pp |
| Chinese | 1,334 | 11.1% | 22.3% | 1,505 | 11.3% | 20.0% | -171 | -0.2pp |
| Indian | 1,166 | 9.7% | 11.2% | 1,346 | 10.1% | 12.3% | -180 | -0.4pp |
| Lebanese | 849 | 7.0% | 3.5% | 805 | 6.0% | 3.6% | +44 | +1.0pp |
| Irish | 722 | 6.0% | 4.5% | 870 | 6.5% | 5.9% | -148 | -0.5pp |
| Scottish | 564 | 4.7% | 3.6% | 614 | 4.6% | 4.3% | -50 | +0.1pp |
| Filipino | 496 | 4.1% | 2.6% | 458 | 3.4% | 2.1% | +38 | +0.7pp |
| Iranian | 341 | 2.8% | 1.5% | 475 | 3.6% | 1.3% | -134 | -0.8pp |
| Korean | 297 | 2.5% | 5.9% | 398 | 3.0% | 5.2% | -101 | -0.5pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).