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 Upper Lachlan Shire (A) were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Upper Lachlan Shire (A) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Upper Lachlan Shire (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Upper Lachlan Shire (A), with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
Australian
2021 count
3,609
% of total
21.2%
Change from 2016
-1.1pp
3,609
21.2%
-1.1pp
English
2021 count
3,609
% of total
21.2%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
3,609
21.2%
+1.0pp
Irish
2021 count
1,388
% of total
8.1%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
1,388
8.1%
0.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,002
% of total
5.9%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
1,002
5.9%
-0.1pp
German
2021 count
299
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
299
1.8%
+0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
270
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
+1.5pp
270
1.6%
+1.5pp
Italian
2021 count
136
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
136
0.8%
+0.4pp
Dutch
2021 count
125
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
125
0.7%
0.0pp
Welsh
2021 count
70
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
70
0.4%
+0.1pp
Maltese
2021 count
62
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
62
0.4%
0.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+175
-1.1pp
English
+497
+1.0pp
Irish
+140
0.0pp
Scottish
+73
-0.1pp
German
+78
+0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
+257
+1.5pp
Italian
+67
+0.4pp
Dutch
+24
0.0pp
Welsh
+23
+0.1pp
Maltese
0
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Upper Lachlan Shire (A). 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 | 3,609 | 21.2% | 20.1% | 3,434 | 22.3% | 21.3% | +175 | -1.1pp |
| English | 3,609 | 21.2% | 20.5% | 3,112 | 20.2% | 20.4% | +497 | +1.0pp |
| Irish | 1,388 | 8.1% | 5.9% | 1,248 | 8.1% | 6.1% | +140 | 0.0pp |
| Scottish | 1,002 | 5.9% | 5.4% | 929 | 6.0% | 5.3% | +73 | -0.1pp |
| German | 299 | 1.8% | 2.1% | 221 | 1.4% | 2.1% | +78 | +0.4pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 270 | 1.6% | 3.1% | 13 | 0.1% | 0.4% | +257 | +1.5pp |
| Italian | 136 | 0.8% | 1.4% | 69 | 0.4% | 1.3% | +67 | +0.4pp |
| Dutch | 125 | 0.7% | 0.7% | 101 | 0.7% | 0.6% | +24 | 0.0pp |
| Welsh | 70 | 0.4% | 0.3% | 47 | 0.3% | 0.3% | +23 | +0.1pp |
| Maltese | 62 | 0.4% | 0.3% | 62 | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0 | 0.0pp |
| Total | 17,031 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 15,393 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +1,638 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).