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 Burketown were Australian Aboriginal, Australian and English.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Burketown - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Burketown in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Burke (S) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Burketown, with comparison markers for Burke (S).
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
83
% of total
40.7%
Change from 2016
+32.3pp
83
40.7%
+32.3pp
Australian
2021 count
61
% of total
29.9%
Change from 2016
-20.9pp
61
29.9%
-20.9pp
English
2021 count
36
% of total
17.6%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
36
17.6%
-0.9pp
Scottish
2021 count
15
% of total
7.4%
Change from 2016
+1.5pp
15
7.4%
+1.5pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
13
% of total
6.4%
Change from 2016
-
13
6.4%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian Aboriginal
+63
+32.3pp
Australian
-60
-20.9pp
English
-8
-0.9pp
Scottish
+1
+1.5pp
Data table
Ancestry for Burketown. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Burke (S).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Burke (S)% | Count | % | Burke (S)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian Aboriginal | 83 | 40.7% | 29.8% | 20 | 8.4% | 4.6% | +63 | +32.3pp |
| Australian | 61 | 29.9% | 29.8% | 121 | 50.8% | 50.0% | -60 | -20.9pp |
| English | 36 | 17.6% | 18.9% | 44 | 18.5% | 20.4% | -8 | -0.9pp |
| Scottish | 15 | 7.4% | 4.5% | 14 | 5.9% | 6.4% | +1 | +1.5pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 13 | 6.4% | 3.6% | - | - | - | - | - |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).