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 Shoalhaven (C) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Shoalhaven (C) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Shoalhaven (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Shoalhaven (C), with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
English
2021 count
46,805
% of total
21.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
46,805
21.6%
+0.1pp
Australian
2021 count
43,681
% of total
20.1%
Change from 2016
-1.4pp
43,681
20.1%
-1.4pp
Irish
2021 count
12,732
% of total
5.9%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
12,732
5.9%
0.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
11,787
% of total
5.4%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
11,787
5.4%
+0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
6,448
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
+2.6pp
6,448
3.0%
+2.6pp
German
2021 count
4,250
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
4,250
2.0%
+0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
2,712
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
2,712
1.2%
+0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
1,534
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
1,534
0.7%
0.0pp
Maltese
2021 count
942
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
942
0.4%
0.0pp
Chinese
2021 count
888
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
888
0.4%
0.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+3,870
+0.1pp
Australian
+772
-1.4pp
Irish
+969
0.0pp
Scottish
+1,467
+0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
+5,678
+2.6pp
German
+399
+0.1pp
Italian
+543
+0.1pp
Dutch
+171
0.0pp
Maltese
+178
0.0pp
Chinese
+132
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Shoalhaven (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 | 46,805 | 21.6% | 20.5% | 42,935 | 21.5% | 20.4% | +3,870 | +0.1pp |
| Australian | 43,681 | 20.1% | 20.1% | 42,909 | 21.5% | 21.3% | +772 | -1.4pp |
| Irish | 12,732 | 5.9% | 5.9% | 11,763 | 5.9% | 6.1% | +969 | 0.0pp |
| Scottish | 11,787 | 5.4% | 5.4% | 10,320 | 5.2% | 5.3% | +1,467 | +0.2pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 6,448 | 3.0% | 3.1% | 770 | 0.4% | 0.4% | +5,678 | +2.6pp |
| German | 4,250 | 2.0% | 2.1% | 3,851 | 1.9% | 2.1% | +399 | +0.1pp |
| Italian | 2,712 | 1.2% | 1.4% | 2,169 | 1.1% | 1.3% | +543 | +0.1pp |
| Dutch | 1,534 | 0.7% | 0.7% | 1,363 | 0.7% | 0.6% | +171 | 0.0pp |
| Maltese | 942 | 0.4% | 0.3% | 764 | 0.4% | 0.2% | +178 | 0.0pp |
| Chinese | 888 | 0.4% | 0.5% | 756 | 0.4% | 0.5% | +132 | 0.0pp |
| Total | 217,018 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 199,291 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +17,727 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).