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 Burdekin (S) were Australian, English and Italian.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Burdekin (S) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Burdekin (S) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Qld and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Burdekin (S), with comparison markers for Regional Qld.
Australian
2021 count
6,180
% of total
37.0%
Change from 2016
-5.2pp
6,180
37.0%
-5.2pp
English
2021 count
5,756
% of total
34.5%
Change from 2016
+1.8pp
5,756
34.5%
+1.8pp
Italian
2021 count
2,868
% of total
17.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
2,868
17.2%
0.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,771
% of total
10.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
1,771
10.6%
+0.1pp
Irish
2021 count
1,706
% of total
10.2%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
1,706
10.2%
-0.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
949
% of total
5.7%
Change from 2016
+5.1pp
949
5.7%
+5.1pp
German
2021 count
916
% of total
5.5%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
916
5.5%
+0.1pp
Spanish
2021 count
213
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
213
1.3%
-0.2pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
212
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
212
1.3%
+0.8pp
Greek
2021 count
171
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
171
1.0%
-0.2pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-1,030
-5.2pp
English
+175
+1.8pp
Italian
-70
0.0pp
Scottish
-19
+0.1pp
Irish
-125
-0.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
+847
+5.1pp
German
-14
+0.1pp
Spanish
-40
-0.2pp
Torres Strait Islander
+135
+0.8pp
Greek
-30
-0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Burdekin (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 | 6,180 | 37.0% | 35.3% | 7,210 | 42.2% | 37.7% | -1,030 | -5.2pp |
| English | 5,756 | 34.5% | 39.6% | 5,581 | 32.7% | 39.2% | +175 | +1.8pp |
| Italian | 2,868 | 17.2% | 3.2% | 2,938 | 17.2% | 3.0% | -70 | 0.0pp |
| Scottish | 1,771 | 10.6% | 10.4% | 1,790 | 10.5% | 10.4% | -19 | +0.1pp |
| Irish | 1,706 | 10.2% | 10.9% | 1,831 | 10.7% | 11.7% | -125 | -0.5pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 949 | 5.7% | 5.1% | 102 | 0.6% | 1.2% | +847 | +5.1pp |
| German | 916 | 5.5% | 6.3% | 930 | 5.4% | 6.6% | -14 | +0.1pp |
| Spanish | 213 | 1.3% | 0.5% | 253 | 1.5% | 0.4% | -40 | -0.2pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 212 | 1.3% | 1.3% | 77 | 0.5% | 0.5% | +135 | +0.8pp |
| Greek | 171 | 1.0% | 0.5% | 201 | 1.2% | 0.5% | -30 | -0.2pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).