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 Bondi Beach were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Bondi Beach - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Bondi Beach in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Waverley (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Bondi Beach, with comparison markers for Waverley (A).
English
2021 count
3,884
% of total
33.7%
Change from 2016
+3.6pp
3,884
33.7%
+3.6pp
Australian
2021 count
2,280
% of total
19.8%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
2,280
19.8%
+0.8pp
Irish
2021 count
1,516
% of total
13.2%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
1,516
13.2%
+1.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
965
% of total
8.4%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
965
8.4%
+0.6pp
Italian
2021 count
746
% of total
6.5%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
746
6.5%
+0.9pp
German
2021 count
592
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
592
5.1%
+0.4pp
French
2021 count
397
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
397
3.4%
+0.7pp
Spanish
2021 count
270
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
270
2.3%
+0.1pp
Chinese
2021 count
267
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
267
2.3%
+0.1pp
Polish
2021 count
253
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
253
2.2%
+0.4pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+377
+3.6pp
Australian
+69
+0.8pp
Irish
+89
+1.0pp
Scottish
+57
+0.6pp
Italian
+90
+0.9pp
German
+41
+0.4pp
French
+80
+0.7pp
Spanish
+17
+0.1pp
Chinese
+16
+0.1pp
Polish
+43
+0.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for Bondi Beach. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Waverley (A).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Waverley (A)% | Count | % | Waverley (A)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 3,884 | 33.7% | 30.8% | 3,507 | 30.1% | 29.0% | +377 | +3.6pp |
| Australian | 2,280 | 19.8% | 21.3% | 2,211 | 19.0% | 20.9% | +69 | +0.8pp |
| Irish | 1,516 | 13.2% | 12.0% | 1,427 | 12.2% | 12.2% | +89 | +1.0pp |
| Scottish | 965 | 8.4% | 7.7% | 908 | 7.8% | 7.3% | +57 | +0.6pp |
| Italian | 746 | 6.5% | 5.7% | 656 | 5.6% | 5.0% | +90 | +0.9pp |
| German | 592 | 5.1% | 4.2% | 551 | 4.7% | 4.2% | +41 | +0.4pp |
| French | 397 | 3.4% | 2.4% | 317 | 2.7% | 2.0% | +80 | +0.7pp |
| Spanish | 270 | 2.3% | 1.8% | 253 | 2.2% | 1.5% | +17 | +0.1pp |
| Chinese | 267 | 2.3% | 3.7% | 251 | 2.2% | 3.2% | +16 | +0.1pp |
| Polish | 253 | 2.2% | 2.4% | 210 | 1.8% | 2.5% | +43 | +0.4pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).