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 Weddin (A) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Weddin (A) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Weddin (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Weddin (A), with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
English
2021 count
1,651
% of total
23.0%
Change from 2016
+1.3pp
1,651
23.0%
+1.3pp
Australian
2021 count
1,630
% of total
22.7%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
1,630
22.7%
-0.4pp
Irish
2021 count
450
% of total
6.3%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
450
6.3%
+0.5pp
Scottish
2021 count
394
% of total
5.5%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
394
5.5%
0.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
153
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
+2.0pp
153
2.1%
+2.0pp
German
2021 count
137
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
137
1.9%
+0.4pp
Italian
2021 count
48
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
48
0.7%
+0.2pp
Dutch
2021 count
36
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
36
0.5%
0.0pp
New Zealander
2021 count
20
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
20
0.3%
+0.1pp
Filipino
2021 count
17
% of total
0.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
17
0.2%
0.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+65
+1.3pp
Australian
-63
-0.4pp
Irish
+29
+0.5pp
Scottish
-8
0.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
+144
+2.0pp
German
+24
+0.4pp
Italian
+12
+0.2pp
Dutch
-2
0.0pp
New Zealander
+8
+0.1pp
Filipino
+5
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Weddin (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 | |
| English | 1,651 | 23.0% | 20.5% | 1,586 | 21.7% | 20.4% | +65 | +1.3pp |
| Australian | 1,630 | 22.7% | 20.1% | 1,693 | 23.1% | 21.3% | -63 | -0.4pp |
| Irish | 450 | 6.3% | 5.9% | 421 | 5.8% | 6.1% | +29 | +0.5pp |
| Scottish | 394 | 5.5% | 5.4% | 402 | 5.5% | 5.3% | -8 | 0.0pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 153 | 2.1% | 3.1% | 9 | 0.1% | 0.4% | +144 | +2.0pp |
| German | 137 | 1.9% | 2.1% | 113 | 1.5% | 2.1% | +24 | +0.4pp |
| Italian | 48 | 0.7% | 1.4% | 36 | 0.5% | 1.3% | +12 | +0.2pp |
| Dutch | 36 | 0.5% | 0.7% | 38 | 0.5% | 0.6% | -2 | 0.0pp |
| New Zealander | 20 | 0.3% | 0.3% | 12 | 0.2% | 0.3% | +8 | +0.1pp |
| Filipino | 17 | 0.2% | 0.4% | 12 | 0.2% | 0.3% | +5 | 0.0pp |
| Total | 7,186 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 7,320 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -134 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).