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 Banana (S) were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Banana (S) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Banana (S) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Qld and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Banana (S), with comparison markers for Regional Qld.
Australian
2021 count
6,223
% of total
21.4%
Change from 2016
-2.8pp
6,223
21.4%
-2.8pp
English
2021 count
5,240
% of total
18.1%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
5,240
18.1%
+0.3pp
Irish
2021 count
1,265
% of total
4.4%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
1,265
4.4%
-0.5pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,262
% of total
4.3%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
1,262
4.3%
-0.2pp
German
2021 count
1,143
% of total
3.9%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
1,143
3.9%
-0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
621
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
+1.9pp
621
2.1%
+1.9pp
Italian
2021 count
221
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
221
0.8%
0.0pp
Chinese
2021 count
190
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
190
0.7%
+0.3pp
Dutch
2021 count
176
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
176
0.6%
-0.1pp
Filipino
2021 count
172
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
172
0.6%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-692
-2.8pp
English
+157
+0.3pp
Irish
-124
-0.5pp
Scottish
-32
-0.2pp
German
-52
-0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
+573
+1.9pp
Italian
+5
0.0pp
Chinese
+81
+0.3pp
Dutch
-29
-0.1pp
Filipino
+23
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Banana (S). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional Qld.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 6,223 | 21.4% | 17.7% | 6,915 | 24.2% | 18.8% | -692 | -2.8pp |
| English | 5,240 | 18.1% | 19.8% | 5,083 | 17.8% | 19.6% | +157 | +0.3pp |
| Irish | 1,265 | 4.4% | 5.5% | 1,389 | 4.9% | 5.9% | -124 | -0.5pp |
| Scottish | 1,262 | 4.3% | 5.2% | 1,294 | 4.5% | 5.2% | -32 | -0.2pp |
| German | 1,143 | 3.9% | 3.2% | 1,195 | 4.2% | 3.3% | -52 | -0.3pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 621 | 2.1% | 2.6% | 48 | 0.2% | 0.6% | +573 | +1.9pp |
| Italian | 221 | 0.8% | 1.6% | 216 | 0.8% | 1.5% | +5 | 0.0pp |
| Chinese | 190 | 0.7% | 0.8% | 109 | 0.4% | 0.8% | +81 | +0.3pp |
| Dutch | 176 | 0.6% | 0.8% | 205 | 0.7% | 0.7% | -29 | -0.1pp |
| Filipino | 172 | 0.6% | 0.6% | 149 | 0.5% | 0.5% | +23 | +0.1pp |
| Total | 29,013 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 28,631 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +382 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).