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 Waverley (A) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Waverley (A) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Waverley (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Sydney and change since 2016.
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Waverley (A), with comparison markers for Greater Sydney.
English
2021 count
21,120
% of total
15.4%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
21,120
15.4%
+0.9pp
Australian
2021 count
14,590
% of total
10.6%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
14,590
10.6%
+0.2pp
Irish
2021 count
8,209
% of total
6.0%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
8,209
6.0%
-0.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
5,250
% of total
3.8%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
5,250
3.8%
+0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
3,900
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
3,900
2.8%
+0.3pp
German
2021 count
2,887
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
2,887
2.1%
0.0pp
Chinese
2021 count
2,557
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
2,557
1.9%
+0.3pp
South African
2021 count
2,510
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
2,510
1.8%
+0.1pp
Jewish
2021 count
1,900
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
1,900
1.4%
+0.4pp
Greek
2021 count
1,802
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
1,802
1.3%
+0.2pp
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+1,774
+0.9pp
Australian
+657
+0.2pp
Irish
+76
-0.1pp
Scottish
+364
+0.1pp
Italian
+585
+0.3pp
German
+108
0.0pp
Chinese
+387
+0.3pp
South African
+188
+0.1pp
Jewish
+500
+0.4pp
Greek
+289
+0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Waverley (A). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Sydney.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Sydney% | Count | % | Greater Sydney% | Count | pp | |
| English | 21,120 | 15.4% | 11.9% | 19,346 | 14.5% | 12.6% | +1,774 | +0.9pp |
| Australian | 14,590 | 10.6% | 11.2% | 13,933 | 10.4% | 11.8% | +657 | +0.2pp |
| Irish | 8,209 | 6.0% | 3.8% | 8,133 | 6.1% | 4.3% | +76 | -0.1pp |
| Scottish | 5,250 | 3.8% | 3.0% | 4,886 | 3.7% | 3.2% | +364 | +0.1pp |
| Italian | 3,900 | 2.8% | 2.1% | 3,315 | 2.5% | 2.1% | +585 | +0.3pp |
| German | 2,887 | 2.1% | 1.2% | 2,779 | 2.1% | 1.3% | +108 | 0.0pp |
| Chinese | 2,557 | 1.9% | 5.3% | 2,170 | 1.6% | 5.1% | +387 | +0.3pp |
| South African | 2,510 | 1.8% | 0.3% | 2,322 | 1.7% | 0.3% | +188 | +0.1pp |
| Jewish | 1,900 | 1.4% | 0.1% | 1,400 | 1.0% | 0.1% | +500 | +0.4pp |
| Greek | 1,802 | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1,513 | 1.1% | 1.2% | +289 | +0.2pp |
| Total | 137,175 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 133,599 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +3,576 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).