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 Barkly (R) were Australian Aboriginal, English and Australian.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Barkly (R) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Barkly (R) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NT and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Barkly (R), with comparison markers for Regional NT.
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
4,051
% of total
32.2%
Change from 2016
+5.0pp
4,051
32.2%
+5.0pp
English
2021 count
746
% of total
5.9%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
746
5.9%
-0.5pp
Australian
2021 count
741
% of total
5.9%
Change from 2016
-3.9pp
741
5.9%
-3.9pp
Irish
2021 count
238
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
238
1.9%
-0.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
207
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
207
1.6%
0.0pp
German
2021 count
121
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
121
1.0%
+0.1pp
Filipino
2021 count
99
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
99
0.8%
+0.1pp
Indian
2021 count
68
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
68
0.5%
+0.1pp
Chinese
2021 count
50
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
50
0.4%
+0.1pp
Nepalese
2021 count
42
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
42
0.3%
+0.3pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian Aboriginal
+434
+5.0pp
English
-108
-0.5pp
Australian
-554
-3.9pp
Irish
-23
-0.1pp
Scottish
-12
0.0pp
German
0
+0.1pp
Filipino
+12
+0.1pp
Indian
+12
+0.1pp
Chinese
+5
+0.1pp
Nepalese
+37
+0.3pp
Data table
Ancestry for Barkly (R). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional NT.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional NT% | Count | % | Regional NT% | Count | pp | |
| Australian Aboriginal | 4,051 | 32.2% | 24.6% | 3,617 | 27.2% | 19.8% | +434 | +5.0pp |
| English | 746 | 5.9% | 8.1% | 854 | 6.4% | 8.4% | -108 | -0.5pp |
| Australian | 741 | 5.9% | 8.4% | 1,295 | 9.8% | 11.0% | -554 | -3.9pp |
| Irish | 238 | 1.9% | 2.7% | 261 | 2.0% | 2.8% | -23 | -0.1pp |
| Scottish | 207 | 1.6% | 2.3% | 219 | 1.6% | 2.4% | -12 | 0.0pp |
| German | 121 | 1.0% | 1.4% | 121 | 0.9% | 1.5% | 0 | +0.1pp |
| Filipino | 99 | 0.8% | 0.8% | 87 | 0.7% | 0.6% | +12 | +0.1pp |
| Indian | 68 | 0.5% | 0.7% | 56 | 0.4% | 0.6% | +12 | +0.1pp |
| Chinese | 50 | 0.4% | 0.5% | 45 | 0.3% | 0.4% | +5 | +0.1pp |
| Nepalese | 42 | 0.3% | 0.3% | 5 | 0.0% | 0.1% | +37 | +0.3pp |
| Total | 12,573 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 13,279 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -706 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).