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 Randwick (C) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Randwick (C) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Randwick (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Sydney and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Randwick (C), with comparison markers for Greater Sydney.
English
2021 count
35,560
% of total
13.2%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
35,560
13.2%
+1.0pp
Australian
2021 count
28,419
% of total
10.6%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
28,419
10.6%
+0.5pp
Irish
2021 count
18,539
% of total
6.9%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
18,539
6.9%
+0.5pp
Chinese
2021 count
13,642
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
-2.1pp
13,642
5.1%
-2.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
9,576
% of total
3.6%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
9,576
3.6%
+0.3pp
Greek
2021 count
7,003
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
7,003
2.6%
+0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
6,595
% of total
2.5%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
6,595
2.5%
+0.4pp
German
2021 count
4,260
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
4,260
1.6%
+0.1pp
French
2021 count
2,641
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
2,641
1.0%
+0.3pp
Indian
2021 count
2,402
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
2,402
0.9%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+1,206
+1.0pp
Australian
+72
+0.5pp
Irish
+430
+0.5pp
Chinese
-6,589
-2.1pp
Scottish
+228
+0.3pp
Greek
+94
+0.1pp
Italian
+791
+0.4pp
German
+13
+0.1pp
French
+641
+0.3pp
Indian
+69
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Randwick (C). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Sydney.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Sydney% | Count | % | Greater Sydney% | Count | pp | |
| English | 35,560 | 13.2% | 11.9% | 34,354 | 12.2% | 12.6% | +1,206 | +1.0pp |
| Australian | 28,419 | 10.6% | 11.2% | 28,347 | 10.1% | 11.8% | +72 | +0.5pp |
| Irish | 18,539 | 6.9% | 3.8% | 18,109 | 6.4% | 4.3% | +430 | +0.5pp |
| Chinese | 13,642 | 5.1% | 5.3% | 20,231 | 7.2% | 5.1% | -6,589 | -2.1pp |
| Scottish | 9,576 | 3.6% | 3.0% | 9,348 | 3.3% | 3.2% | +228 | +0.3pp |
| Greek | 7,003 | 2.6% | 1.2% | 6,909 | 2.5% | 1.2% | +94 | +0.1pp |
| Italian | 6,595 | 2.5% | 2.1% | 5,804 | 2.1% | 2.1% | +791 | +0.4pp |
| German | 4,260 | 1.6% | 1.2% | 4,247 | 1.5% | 1.3% | +13 | +0.1pp |
| French | 2,641 | 1.0% | 0.3% | 2,000 | 0.7% | 0.3% | +641 | +0.3pp |
| Indian | 2,402 | 0.9% | 2.3% | 2,333 | 0.8% | 2.0% | +69 | +0.1pp |
| Total | 268,442 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 281,281 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -12,839 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).