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 were Australian, Australian Aboriginal and English.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Walgett - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Walgett in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Walgett (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Walgett, with comparison markers for Walgett (A).
Australian
2021 count
450
% of total
12.4%
Change from 2016
-11.7pp
450
12.4%
-11.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
419
% of total
11.5%
Change from 2016
+11.4pp
419
11.5%
+11.4pp
English
2021 count
340
% of total
9.4%
Change from 2016
-11.2pp
340
9.4%
-11.2pp
Irish
2021 count
127
% of total
3.5%
Change from 2016
-1.3pp
127
3.5%
-1.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
110
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
-2.4pp
110
3.0%
-2.4pp
German
2021 count
30
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
30
0.8%
-0.3pp
Indian
2021 count
16
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
16
0.4%
+0.2pp
Chinese
2021 count
15
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
15
0.4%
+0.1pp
Welsh
2021 count
12
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
12
0.3%
+0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
10
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
10
0.3%
-0.5pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-496
-11.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
+415
+11.4pp
English
-468
-11.2pp
Irish
-60
-1.3pp
Scottish
-101
-2.4pp
German
-15
-0.3pp
Indian
+8
+0.2pp
Chinese
+4
+0.1pp
Welsh
+4
+0.1pp
Italian
-22
-0.5pp
Data table
Ancestry for Walgett. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Walgett (A).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Walgett (A)% | Count | % | Walgett (A)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 450 | 12.4% | 14.4% | 946 | 24.1% | 22.7% | -496 | -11.7pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 419 | 11.5% | 10.2% | 4 | 0.1% | 4.5% | +415 | +11.4pp |
| English | 340 | 9.4% | 12.3% | 808 | 20.6% | 14.2% | -468 | -11.2pp |
| Irish | 127 | 3.5% | 3.9% | 187 | 4.8% | 4.2% | -60 | -1.3pp |
| Scottish | 110 | 3.0% | 3.5% | 211 | 5.4% | 3.6% | -101 | -2.4pp |
| German | 30 | 0.8% | 1.7% | 45 | 1.1% | 1.7% | -15 | -0.3pp |
| Indian | 16 | 0.4% | 0.4% | 8 | 0.2% | 0.3% | +8 | +0.2pp |
| Chinese | 15 | 0.4% | 0.2% | 11 | 0.3% | 0.3% | +4 | +0.1pp |
| Welsh | 12 | 0.3% | 0.2% | 8 | 0.2% | 0.1% | +4 | +0.1pp |
| Italian | 10 | 0.3% | 0.4% | 32 | 0.8% | 0.4% | -22 | -0.5pp |
| Total | 3,634 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 3,928 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -294 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).