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 Sutherland Shire (A) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Sutherland Shire (A) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Sutherland Shire (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Sydney and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Sutherland Shire (A), with comparison markers for Greater Sydney.
English
2021 count
87,408
% of total
38.0%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
87,408
38.0%
-0.4pp
Australian
2021 count
81,912
% of total
35.6%
Change from 2016
-1.0pp
81,912
35.6%
-1.0pp
Irish
2021 count
28,604
% of total
12.4%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
28,604
12.4%
-0.8pp
Scottish
2021 count
21,988
% of total
9.6%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
21,988
9.6%
0.0pp
Italian
2021 count
11,318
% of total
4.9%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
11,318
4.9%
+0.5pp
Chinese
2021 count
9,062
% of total
3.9%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
9,062
3.9%
+0.4pp
Greek
2021 count
8,619
% of total
3.7%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
8,619
3.7%
+0.2pp
German
2021 count
7,616
% of total
3.3%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
7,616
3.3%
-0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
3,228
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
+1.2pp
3,228
1.4%
+1.2pp
Dutch
2021 count
3,087
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
3,087
1.3%
0.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+3,536
-0.4pp
Australian
+1,999
-1.0pp
Irish
-270
-0.8pp
Scottish
+1,121
0.0pp
Italian
+1,643
+0.5pp
Chinese
+1,477
+0.4pp
Greek
+1,014
+0.2pp
German
+162
-0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
+2,882
+1.2pp
Dutch
+341
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Sutherland Shire (A). 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 | 87,408 | 38.0% | 23.8% | 83,872 | 38.4% | 25.3% | +3,536 | -0.4pp |
| Australian | 81,912 | 35.6% | 22.3% | 79,913 | 36.6% | 23.5% | +1,999 | -1.0pp |
| Irish | 28,604 | 12.4% | 7.7% | 28,874 | 13.2% | 8.6% | -270 | -0.8pp |
| Scottish | 21,988 | 9.6% | 6.0% | 20,867 | 9.6% | 6.4% | +1,121 | 0.0pp |
| Italian | 11,318 | 4.9% | 4.3% | 9,675 | 4.4% | 4.2% | +1,643 | +0.5pp |
| Chinese | 9,062 | 3.9% | 10.6% | 7,585 | 3.5% | 10.1% | +1,477 | +0.4pp |
| Greek | 8,619 | 3.7% | 2.4% | 7,605 | 3.5% | 2.4% | +1,014 | +0.2pp |
| German | 7,616 | 3.3% | 2.3% | 7,454 | 3.4% | 2.5% | +162 | -0.1pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 3,228 | 1.4% | 1.6% | 346 | 0.2% | 0.2% | +2,882 | +1.2pp |
| Dutch | 3,087 | 1.3% | 0.9% | 2,746 | 1.3% | 0.9% | +341 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).