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 Wallacia (part) were Australian, English and Maltese.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Wallacia (part) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Wallacia (part) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Penrith (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Wallacia (part), with comparison markers for Penrith (C).
Australian
2021 count
675
% of total
39.5%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
675
39.5%
+0.2pp
English
2021 count
590
% of total
34.5%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
590
34.5%
+0.2pp
Maltese
2021 count
161
% of total
9.4%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
161
9.4%
+0.2pp
Irish
2021 count
158
% of total
9.2%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
158
9.2%
-0.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
148
% of total
8.6%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
148
8.6%
+0.5pp
Italian
2021 count
129
% of total
7.5%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
129
7.5%
+1.4pp
German
2021 count
59
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
59
3.4%
-0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
54
% of total
3.2%
Change from 2016
+2.7pp
54
3.2%
+2.7pp
Chinese
2021 count
48
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
+1.1pp
48
2.8%
+1.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
34
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
34
2.0%
+0.3pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+36
+0.2pp
English
+32
+0.2pp
Maltese
+11
+0.2pp
Irish
+5
-0.2pp
Scottish
+16
+0.5pp
Italian
+29
+1.4pp
German
-1
-0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
+46
+2.7pp
Chinese
+21
+1.1pp
Dutch
+6
+0.3pp
Data table
Ancestry for Wallacia (part). 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 | 675 | 39.5% | 33.3% | 639 | 39.3% | 35.7% | +36 | +0.2pp |
| English | 590 | 34.5% | 30.2% | 558 | 34.3% | 33.3% | +32 | +0.2pp |
| Maltese | 161 | 9.4% | 4.0% | 150 | 9.2% | 3.9% | +11 | +0.2pp |
| Irish | 158 | 9.2% | 8.2% | 153 | 9.4% | 9.8% | +5 | -0.2pp |
| Scottish | 148 | 8.6% | 6.7% | 132 | 8.1% | 7.4% | +16 | +0.5pp |
| Italian | 129 | 7.5% | 3.7% | 100 | 6.1% | 3.7% | +29 | +1.4pp |
| German | 59 | 3.4% | 2.9% | 60 | 3.7% | 3.3% | -1 | -0.3pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 54 | 3.2% | 4.6% | 8 | 0.5% | 0.6% | +46 | +2.7pp |
| Chinese | 48 | 2.8% | 2.1% | 27 | 1.7% | 1.8% | +21 | +1.1pp |
| Dutch | 34 | 2.0% | 1.4% | 28 | 1.7% | 1.5% | +6 | +0.3pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).