Cultural diversity
Ancestry
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.
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 counts represent responses rather than a single unduplicated person count, while percentages are shown against the total population.
- 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 Shellharbour (C) were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Shellharbour (C) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Shellharbour (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Shellharbour (C), with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
English
Australian
Scottish
Irish
Australian Aboriginal
Italian
German
Macedonian
Maltese
Spanish
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+3,055
0.0pp
Australian
+2,250
-1.1pp
Scottish
+659
0.0pp
Irish
+182
-0.8pp
Australian Aboriginal
+3,223
+4.1pp
Italian
+529
+0.3pp
German
+127
-0.3pp
Macedonian
+346
+0.2pp
Maltese
+298
+0.2pp
Spanish
+59
-0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Shellharbour (C). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional NSW.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional NSW% | Count | % | Regional NSW% | Count | pp | |
| English | 29,693 | 38.9% | 40.9% | 26,638 | 38.9% | 40.8% | +3,055 | 0.0pp |
| Australian | 29,288 | 38.4% | 40.2% | 27,038 | 39.5% | 42.5% | +2,250 | -1.1pp |
| Scottish | 6,847 | 9.0% | 10.7% | 6,188 | 9.0% | 10.5% | +659 | 0.0pp |
| Irish | 6,798 | 8.9% | 11.8% | 6,616 | 9.7% | 12.3% | +182 | -0.8pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 3,616 | 4.7% | 6.1% | 393 | 0.6% | 0.8% | +3,223 | +4.1pp |
| Italian | 3,338 | 4.4% | 2.8% | 2,809 | 4.1% | 2.6% | +529 | +0.3pp |
| German | 3,285 | 4.3% | 4.2% | 3,158 | 4.6% | 4.3% | +127 | -0.3pp |
| Macedonian | 2,557 | 3.4% | 0.5% | 2,211 | 3.2% | 0.5% | +346 | +0.2pp |
| Maltese | 1,509 | 2.0% | 0.5% | 1,211 | 1.8% | 0.5% | +298 | +0.2pp |
| Spanish | 1,311 | 1.7% | 0.4% | 1,252 | 1.8% | 0.3% | +59 | -0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).