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 Penrith were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Penrith - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Penrith in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Penrith (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Penrith, with comparison markers for Penrith (C).
English
2021 count
5,620
% of total
31.3%
Change from 2016
-3.2pp
5,620
31.3%
-3.2pp
Australian
2021 count
5,499
% of total
30.6%
Change from 2016
-2.6pp
5,499
30.6%
-2.6pp
Irish
2021 count
1,697
% of total
9.4%
Change from 2016
-2.3pp
1,697
9.4%
-2.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,390
% of total
7.7%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
1,390
7.7%
-0.9pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
1,035
% of total
5.8%
Change from 2016
+5.1pp
1,035
5.8%
+5.1pp
Chinese
2021 count
667
% of total
3.7%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
667
3.7%
+0.7pp
German
2021 count
611
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
611
3.4%
+0.1pp
Indian
2021 count
608
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
608
3.4%
+0.5pp
Filipino
2021 count
573
% of total
3.2%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
573
3.2%
+1.0pp
Italian
2021 count
533
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
533
3.0%
+0.6pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+1,027
-3.2pp
Australian
+1,085
-2.6pp
Irish
+144
-2.3pp
Scottish
+243
-0.9pp
Australian Aboriginal
+936
+5.1pp
Chinese
+272
+0.7pp
German
+166
+0.1pp
Indian
+226
+0.5pp
Filipino
+285
+1.0pp
Italian
+209
+0.6pp
Data table
Ancestry for Penrith. 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 | 5,620 | 31.3% | 30.2% | 4,593 | 34.5% | 33.3% | +1,027 | -3.2pp |
| Australian | 5,499 | 30.6% | 33.3% | 4,414 | 33.2% | 35.7% | +1,085 | -2.6pp |
| Irish | 1,697 | 9.4% | 8.2% | 1,553 | 11.7% | 9.8% | +144 | -2.3pp |
| Scottish | 1,390 | 7.7% | 6.7% | 1,147 | 8.6% | 7.4% | +243 | -0.9pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 1,035 | 5.8% | 4.6% | 99 | 0.7% | 0.6% | +936 | +5.1pp |
| Chinese | 667 | 3.7% | 2.1% | 395 | 3.0% | 1.8% | +272 | +0.7pp |
| German | 611 | 3.4% | 2.9% | 445 | 3.3% | 3.3% | +166 | +0.1pp |
| Indian | 608 | 3.4% | 3.9% | 382 | 2.9% | 3.0% | +226 | +0.5pp |
| Filipino | 573 | 3.2% | 3.6% | 288 | 2.2% | 2.8% | +285 | +1.0pp |
| Italian | 533 | 3.0% | 3.7% | 324 | 2.4% | 3.7% | +209 | +0.6pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).