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 Castlereagh were English, Australian and Maltese.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Castlereagh - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Castlereagh in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Penrith (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Castlereagh, with comparison markers for Penrith (C).
English
2021 count
449
% of total
18.2%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
449
18.2%
-0.3pp
Australian
2021 count
437
% of total
17.7%
Change from 2016
+3.6pp
437
17.7%
+3.6pp
Maltese
2021 count
248
% of total
10.0%
Change from 2016
-
248
10.0%
-
Irish
2021 count
101
% of total
4.1%
Change from 2016
-3.1pp
101
4.1%
-3.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
63
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
-2.5pp
63
2.6%
-2.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
48
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
-
48
1.9%
-
German
2021 count
45
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
45
1.8%
-0.4pp
Italian
2021 count
39
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
39
1.6%
-0.4pp
Greek
2021 count
33
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
33
1.3%
+0.3pp
Croatian
2021 count
27
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
27
1.1%
+0.8pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
-631
-0.3pp
Australian
-386
+3.6pp
Irish
-321
-3.1pp
Scottish
-235
-2.5pp
German
-85
-0.4pp
Italian
-75
-0.4pp
Greek
-26
+0.3pp
Croatian
+8
+0.8pp
Dutch
-16
+0.2pp
Indian
-13
+0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Castlereagh. 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 | |
| English | 449 | 18.2% | 15.1% | 1,080 | 18.5% | 16.6% | -631 | -0.3pp |
| Australian | 437 | 17.7% | 16.6% | 823 | 14.1% | 17.9% | -386 | +3.6pp |
| Maltese | 248 | 10.0% | 2.0% | - | - | 1.9% | - | - |
| Irish | 101 | 4.1% | 4.1% | 422 | 7.2% | 4.9% | -321 | -3.1pp |
| Scottish | 63 | 2.6% | 3.4% | 298 | 5.1% | 3.7% | -235 | -2.5pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 48 | 1.9% | 2.3% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
| German | 45 | 1.8% | 1.4% | 130 | 2.2% | 1.7% | -85 | -0.4pp |
| Italian | 39 | 1.6% | 1.9% | 114 | 2.0% | 1.8% | -75 | -0.4pp |
| Greek | 33 | 1.3% | 0.6% | 59 | 1.0% | 0.6% | -26 | +0.3pp |
| Croatian | 27 | 1.1% | 0.5% | 19 | 0.3% | 0.5% | +8 | +0.8pp |
| Total | 2,468 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 5,836 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -3,368 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).