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 Emu Plains were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Emu Plains - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Emu Plains in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Penrith (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Emu Plains, with comparison markers for Penrith (C).
Australian
2021 count
3,381
% of total
41.6%
Change from 2016
+1.2pp
3,381
41.6%
+1.2pp
English
2021 count
3,250
% of total
40.0%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
3,250
40.0%
0.0pp
Irish
2021 count
1,116
% of total
13.7%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
1,116
13.7%
-0.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
808
% of total
9.9%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
808
9.9%
+0.2pp
German
2021 count
305
% of total
3.8%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
305
3.8%
-0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
281
% of total
3.5%
Change from 2016
+3.0pp
281
3.5%
+3.0pp
Italian
2021 count
246
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
246
3.0%
+0.5pp
Dutch
2021 count
176
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
176
2.2%
+0.1pp
Maltese
2021 count
153
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
153
1.9%
+0.3pp
Greek
2021 count
136
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
136
1.7%
0.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-23
+1.2pp
English
-119
0.0pp
Irish
-74
-0.4pp
Scottish
-5
+0.2pp
German
-38
-0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
+241
+3.0pp
Italian
+32
+0.5pp
Dutch
+1
+0.1pp
Maltese
+22
+0.3pp
Greek
-11
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Emu Plains. 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 | 3,381 | 41.6% | 33.3% | 3,404 | 40.4% | 35.7% | -23 | +1.2pp |
| English | 3,250 | 40.0% | 30.2% | 3,369 | 40.0% | 33.3% | -119 | 0.0pp |
| Irish | 1,116 | 13.7% | 8.2% | 1,190 | 14.1% | 9.8% | -74 | -0.4pp |
| Scottish | 808 | 9.9% | 6.7% | 813 | 9.7% | 7.4% | -5 | +0.2pp |
| German | 305 | 3.8% | 2.9% | 343 | 4.1% | 3.3% | -38 | -0.3pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 281 | 3.5% | 4.6% | 40 | 0.5% | 0.6% | +241 | +3.0pp |
| Italian | 246 | 3.0% | 3.7% | 214 | 2.5% | 3.7% | +32 | +0.5pp |
| Dutch | 176 | 2.2% | 1.4% | 175 | 2.1% | 1.5% | +1 | +0.1pp |
| Maltese | 153 | 1.9% | 4.0% | 131 | 1.6% | 3.9% | +22 | +0.3pp |
| Greek | 136 | 1.7% | 1.2% | 147 | 1.7% | 1.2% | -11 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).