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 Walgett (A) were Australian, English and Australian Aboriginal.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Walgett (A) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Walgett (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Walgett (A), with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
Australian
2021 count
1,505
% of total
14.4%
Change from 2016
-8.3pp
1,505
14.4%
-8.3pp
English
2021 count
1,292
% of total
12.3%
Change from 2016
-1.9pp
1,292
12.3%
-1.9pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
1,064
% of total
10.2%
Change from 2016
+5.7pp
1,064
10.2%
+5.7pp
Irish
2021 count
405
% of total
3.9%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
405
3.9%
-0.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
364
% of total
3.5%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
364
3.5%
-0.1pp
German
2021 count
174
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
174
1.7%
0.0pp
Serbian
2021 count
48
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
48
0.5%
0.0pp
Filipino
2021 count
46
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
46
0.4%
0.0pp
Dutch
2021 count
39
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
39
0.4%
-0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
39
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
39
0.4%
0.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-1,256
-8.3pp
English
-433
-1.9pp
Australian Aboriginal
+515
+5.7pp
Irish
-112
-0.3pp
Scottish
-74
-0.1pp
German
-37
0.0pp
Serbian
-10
0.0pp
Filipino
-6
0.0pp
Dutch
-22
-0.1pp
Italian
-12
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Walgett (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 | 1,505 | 14.4% | 20.1% | 2,761 | 22.7% | 21.3% | -1,256 | -8.3pp |
| English | 1,292 | 12.3% | 20.5% | 1,725 | 14.2% | 20.4% | -433 | -1.9pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 1,064 | 10.2% | 3.1% | 549 | 4.5% | 0.4% | +515 | +5.7pp |
| Irish | 405 | 3.9% | 5.9% | 517 | 4.2% | 6.1% | -112 | -0.3pp |
| Scottish | 364 | 3.5% | 5.4% | 438 | 3.6% | 5.3% | -74 | -0.1pp |
| German | 174 | 1.7% | 2.1% | 211 | 1.7% | 2.1% | -37 | 0.0pp |
| Serbian | 48 | 0.5% | 0.1% | 58 | 0.5% | 0.1% | -10 | 0.0pp |
| Filipino | 46 | 0.4% | 0.4% | 52 | 0.4% | 0.3% | -6 | 0.0pp |
| Dutch | 39 | 0.4% | 0.7% | 61 | 0.5% | 0.6% | -22 | -0.1pp |
| Italian | 39 | 0.4% | 1.4% | 51 | 0.4% | 1.3% | -12 | 0.0pp |
| Total | 10,475 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 12,184 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -1,709 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).