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 Wollondilly (A) were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Wollondilly (A) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Wollondilly (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Sydney and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Wollondilly (A), with comparison markers for Greater Sydney.
Australian
2021 count
23,486
% of total
43.5%
Change from 2016
-2.4pp
23,486
43.5%
-2.4pp
English
2021 count
21,338
% of total
39.5%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
21,338
39.5%
+0.7pp
Irish
2021 count
5,547
% of total
10.3%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
5,547
10.3%
-0.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
4,890
% of total
9.1%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
4,890
9.1%
+0.3pp
Italian
2021 count
2,915
% of total
5.4%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
2,915
5.4%
+0.8pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
2,341
% of total
4.3%
Change from 2016
+3.8pp
2,341
4.3%
+3.8pp
Maltese
2021 count
2,026
% of total
3.8%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
2,026
3.8%
+0.8pp
German
2021 count
1,969
% of total
3.6%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
1,969
3.6%
-0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
739
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
739
1.4%
0.0pp
Croatian
2021 count
604
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
604
1.1%
+0.2pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+1,224
-2.4pp
English
+2,490
+0.7pp
Irish
+383
-0.3pp
Scottish
+608
+0.3pp
Italian
+666
+0.8pp
Australian Aboriginal
+2,116
+3.8pp
Maltese
+577
+0.8pp
German
+190
-0.1pp
Dutch
+44
0.0pp
Croatian
+159
+0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Wollondilly (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 | |
| Australian | 23,486 | 43.5% | 22.3% | 22,262 | 45.9% | 23.5% | +1,224 | -2.4pp |
| English | 21,338 | 39.5% | 23.8% | 18,848 | 38.8% | 25.3% | +2,490 | +0.7pp |
| Irish | 5,547 | 10.3% | 7.7% | 5,164 | 10.6% | 8.6% | +383 | -0.3pp |
| Scottish | 4,890 | 9.1% | 6.0% | 4,282 | 8.8% | 6.4% | +608 | +0.3pp |
| Italian | 2,915 | 5.4% | 4.3% | 2,249 | 4.6% | 4.2% | +666 | +0.8pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 2,341 | 4.3% | 1.6% | 225 | 0.5% | 0.2% | +2,116 | +3.8pp |
| Maltese | 2,026 | 3.8% | 1.2% | 1,449 | 3.0% | 1.2% | +577 | +0.8pp |
| German | 1,969 | 3.6% | 2.3% | 1,779 | 3.7% | 2.5% | +190 | -0.1pp |
| Dutch | 739 | 1.4% | 0.9% | 695 | 1.4% | 0.9% | +44 | 0.0pp |
| Croatian | 604 | 1.1% | 0.8% | 445 | 0.9% | 0.8% | +159 | +0.2pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).