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 Brisbane (C) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Brisbane (C) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Brisbane (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Brisbane and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Brisbane (C), with comparison markers for Greater Brisbane.
English
2021 count
413,575
% of total
33.3%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
413,575
33.3%
-0.3pp
Australian
2021 count
346,823
% of total
27.9%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
346,823
27.9%
-0.2pp
Irish
2021 count
153,213
% of total
12.3%
Change from 2016
-1.1pp
153,213
12.3%
-1.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
126,612
% of total
10.2%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
126,612
10.2%
-0.1pp
Chinese
2021 count
95,484
% of total
7.7%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
95,484
7.7%
+0.5pp
German
2021 count
64,675
% of total
5.2%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
64,675
5.2%
-0.1pp
Indian
2021 count
45,609
% of total
3.7%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
45,609
3.7%
+0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
42,595
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
42,595
3.4%
+0.2pp
Vietnamese
2021 count
23,005
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
23,005
1.9%
+0.1pp
Filipino
2021 count
21,009
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
21,009
1.7%
+0.3pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+33,166
-0.3pp
Australian
+29,515
-0.2pp
Irish
+1,761
-1.1pp
Scottish
+10,160
-0.1pp
Chinese
+14,283
+0.5pp
German
+4,504
-0.1pp
Indian
+5,818
+0.2pp
Italian
+6,104
+0.2pp
Vietnamese
+2,956
+0.1pp
Filipino
+5,514
+0.3pp
Data table
Ancestry for Brisbane (C). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Brisbane.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Brisbane% | Count | % | Greater Brisbane% | Count | pp | |
| English | 413,575 | 33.3% | 36.5% | 380,409 | 33.6% | 37.1% | +33,166 | -0.3pp |
| Australian | 346,823 | 27.9% | 31.6% | 317,308 | 28.1% | 32.3% | +29,515 | -0.2pp |
| Irish | 153,213 | 12.3% | 11.1% | 151,452 | 13.4% | 12.3% | +1,761 | -1.1pp |
| Scottish | 126,612 | 10.2% | 10.1% | 116,452 | 10.3% | 10.3% | +10,160 | -0.1pp |
| Chinese | 95,484 | 7.7% | 4.7% | 81,201 | 7.2% | 4.4% | +14,283 | +0.5pp |
| German | 64,675 | 5.2% | 5.7% | 60,171 | 5.3% | 6.0% | +4,504 | -0.1pp |
| Indian | 45,609 | 3.7% | 2.7% | 39,791 | 3.5% | 2.4% | +5,818 | +0.2pp |
| Italian | 42,595 | 3.4% | 2.7% | 36,491 | 3.2% | 2.6% | +6,104 | +0.2pp |
| Vietnamese | 23,005 | 1.9% | 1.1% | 20,049 | 1.8% | 1.1% | +2,956 | +0.1pp |
| Filipino | 21,009 | 1.7% | 1.6% | 15,495 | 1.4% | 1.3% | +5,514 | +0.3pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).