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 Sandover (part) were Australian Aboriginal, English and Australian.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Sandover (part) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Sandover (part) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Barkly (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Sandover (part), with comparison markers for Barkly (R).
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
464
% of total
81.5%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
464
81.5%
-0.5pp
English
2021 count
29
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
+1.9pp
29
5.1%
+1.9pp
Australian
2021 count
19
% of total
3.3%
Change from 2016
-3.5pp
19
3.3%
-3.5pp
Irish
2021 count
10
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
10
1.8%
-0.7pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian Aboriginal
-56
-0.5pp
English
+9
+1.9pp
Australian
-24
-3.5pp
Irish
-6
-0.7pp
Data table
Ancestry for Sandover (part). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Barkly (R).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Barkly (R)% | Count | % | Barkly (R)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian Aboriginal | 464 | 81.5% | 64.1% | 520 | 82.0% | 54.4% | -56 | -0.5pp |
| English | 29 | 5.1% | 11.8% | 20 | 3.2% | 12.8% | +9 | +1.9pp |
| Australian | 19 | 3.3% | 11.7% | 43 | 6.8% | 19.5% | -24 | -3.5pp |
| Irish | 10 | 1.8% | 3.8% | 16 | 2.5% | 3.9% | -6 | -0.7pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).