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 Unincorporated NSW were Australian, English and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Unincorporated NSW - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Unincorporated NSW in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Unincorporated NSW, with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
Australian
2021 count
432
% of total
42.5%
Change from 2016
-4.8pp
432
42.5%
-4.8pp
English
2021 count
395
% of total
38.9%
Change from 2016
+3.3pp
395
38.9%
+3.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
138
% of total
13.6%
Change from 2016
+2.8pp
138
13.6%
+2.8pp
Irish
2021 count
132
% of total
13.0%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
132
13.0%
+1.0pp
German
2021 count
67
% of total
6.6%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
67
6.6%
+0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
36
% of total
3.5%
Change from 2016
-
36
3.5%
-
Chinese
2021 count
16
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
16
1.6%
+0.7pp
French
2021 count
14
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
14
1.4%
+0.7pp
Italian
2021 count
14
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
14
1.4%
0.0pp
Dutch
2021 count
12
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
12
1.2%
+0.7pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-67
-4.8pp
English
+19
+3.3pp
Scottish
+24
+2.8pp
Irish
+5
+1.0pp
German
+1
+0.3pp
Chinese
+7
+0.7pp
French
+7
+0.7pp
Italian
-1
0.0pp
Dutch
+7
+0.7pp
New Zealander
-1
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Unincorporated NSW. 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 | |
| Australian | 432 | 42.5% | 40.2% | 499 | 47.3% | 42.5% | -67 | -4.8pp |
| English | 395 | 38.9% | 40.9% | 376 | 35.6% | 40.8% | +19 | +3.3pp |
| Scottish | 138 | 13.6% | 10.7% | 114 | 10.8% | 10.5% | +24 | +2.8pp |
| Irish | 132 | 13.0% | 11.8% | 127 | 12.0% | 12.3% | +5 | +1.0pp |
| German | 67 | 6.6% | 4.2% | 66 | 6.3% | 4.3% | +1 | +0.3pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 36 | 3.5% | 6.1% | - | - | 0.8% | - | - |
| Chinese | 16 | 1.6% | 1.0% | 9 | 0.9% | 1.0% | +7 | +0.7pp |
| French | 14 | 1.4% | 0.5% | 7 | 0.7% | 0.5% | +7 | +0.7pp |
| Italian | 14 | 1.4% | 2.8% | 15 | 1.4% | 2.6% | -1 | 0.0pp |
| Dutch | 12 | 1.2% | 1.4% | 5 | 0.5% | 1.3% | +7 | +0.7pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).