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 Gaythorne were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Gaythorne - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Gaythorne in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Brisbane (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Gaythorne, with comparison markers for Brisbane (C).
English
2021 count
1,248
% of total
39.5%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
1,248
39.5%
+0.2pp
Australian
2021 count
1,143
% of total
36.2%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
1,143
36.2%
+0.9pp
Irish
2021 count
518
% of total
16.4%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
518
16.4%
-0.6pp
Scottish
2021 count
369
% of total
11.7%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
369
11.7%
0.0pp
German
2021 count
201
% of total
6.4%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
201
6.4%
+0.5pp
Italian
2021 count
117
% of total
3.7%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
117
3.7%
+0.6pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
80
% of total
2.5%
Change from 2016
+1.8pp
80
2.5%
+1.8pp
Chinese
2021 count
63
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
63
2.0%
0.0pp
Indian
2021 count
55
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
55
1.7%
+0.3pp
Dutch
2021 count
53
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
53
1.7%
+0.2pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+71
+0.2pp
Australian
+86
+0.9pp
Irish
+9
-0.6pp
Scottish
+19
0.0pp
German
+26
+0.5pp
Italian
+24
+0.6pp
Australian Aboriginal
+60
+1.8pp
Chinese
+3
0.0pp
Indian
+14
+0.3pp
Dutch
+7
+0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Gaythorne. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Brisbane (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Brisbane (C)% | Count | % | Brisbane (C)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 1,248 | 39.5% | 33.3% | 1,177 | 39.3% | 33.6% | +71 | +0.2pp |
| Australian | 1,143 | 36.2% | 27.9% | 1,057 | 35.3% | 28.1% | +86 | +0.9pp |
| Irish | 518 | 16.4% | 12.3% | 509 | 17.0% | 13.4% | +9 | -0.6pp |
| Scottish | 369 | 11.7% | 10.2% | 350 | 11.7% | 10.3% | +19 | 0.0pp |
| German | 201 | 6.4% | 5.2% | 175 | 5.9% | 5.3% | +26 | +0.5pp |
| Italian | 117 | 3.7% | 3.4% | 93 | 3.1% | 3.2% | +24 | +0.6pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 80 | 2.5% | 1.7% | 20 | 0.7% | 0.2% | +60 | +1.8pp |
| Chinese | 63 | 2.0% | 7.7% | 60 | 2.0% | 7.2% | +3 | 0.0pp |
| Indian | 55 | 1.7% | 3.7% | 41 | 1.4% | 3.5% | +14 | +0.3pp |
| Dutch | 53 | 1.7% | 1.5% | 46 | 1.5% | 1.4% | +7 | +0.2pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).