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 Berkshire Park were Australian, Maltese and English.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Berkshire Park - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Berkshire Park in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Penrith (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Berkshire Park, with comparison markers for Penrith (C).
Australian
2021 count
311
% of total
7.3%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
311
7.3%
-0.6pp
Maltese
2021 count
306
% of total
7.1%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
306
7.1%
-0.4pp
English
2021 count
269
% of total
6.3%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
269
6.3%
-0.7pp
Scottish
2021 count
49
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
49
1.1%
-0.3pp
Irish
2021 count
49
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
49
1.1%
-0.6pp
Italian
2021 count
41
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
41
1.0%
+0.2pp
Chinese
2021 count
36
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
36
0.8%
+0.2pp
German
2021 count
23
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
23
0.5%
-0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
19
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
-
19
0.4%
-
Lebanese
2021 count
19
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
19
0.4%
-0.3pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-24
-0.6pp
Maltese
-14
-0.4pp
English
-29
-0.7pp
Scottish
-11
-0.3pp
Irish
-25
-0.6pp
Italian
+7
+0.2pp
Chinese
+11
+0.2pp
German
-4
-0.1pp
Lebanese
-9
-0.3pp
Indian
+2
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Berkshire Park. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Penrith (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Penrith (C)% | Count | % | Penrith (C)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 311 | 7.3% | 16.6% | 335 | 7.9% | 17.9% | -24 | -0.6pp |
| Maltese | 306 | 7.1% | 2.0% | 320 | 7.5% | 1.9% | -14 | -0.4pp |
| English | 269 | 6.3% | 15.1% | 298 | 7.0% | 16.6% | -29 | -0.7pp |
| Scottish | 49 | 1.1% | 3.4% | 60 | 1.4% | 3.7% | -11 | -0.3pp |
| Irish | 49 | 1.1% | 4.1% | 74 | 1.7% | 4.9% | -25 | -0.6pp |
| Italian | 41 | 1.0% | 1.9% | 34 | 0.8% | 1.8% | +7 | +0.2pp |
| Chinese | 36 | 0.8% | 1.0% | 25 | 0.6% | 0.9% | +11 | +0.2pp |
| German | 23 | 0.5% | 1.4% | 27 | 0.6% | 1.7% | -4 | -0.1pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 19 | 0.4% | 2.3% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
| Lebanese | 19 | 0.4% | 0.7% | 28 | 0.7% | 0.6% | -9 | -0.3pp |
| Total | 4,285 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 4,262 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +23 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).