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 Upper Burnie were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Upper Burnie - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Upper Burnie in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Burnie (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Upper Burnie, with comparison markers for Burnie (C).
Australian
2021 count
833
% of total
44.1%
Change from 2016
-5.9pp
833
44.1%
-5.9pp
English
2021 count
810
% of total
42.8%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
810
42.8%
+0.7pp
Irish
2021 count
173
% of total
9.1%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
173
9.1%
0.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
150
% of total
7.9%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
150
7.9%
0.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
148
% of total
7.8%
Change from 2016
+7.0pp
148
7.8%
+7.0pp
German
2021 count
54
% of total
2.9%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
54
2.9%
0.0pp
Dutch
2021 count
26
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
26
1.4%
+0.4pp
Chinese
2021 count
20
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
20
1.1%
0.0pp
Indian
2021 count
17
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
17
0.9%
+0.5pp
Filipino
2021 count
16
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
16
0.8%
-0.2pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-77
-5.9pp
English
+43
+0.7pp
Irish
+7
0.0pp
Scottish
+6
0.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
+134
+7.0pp
German
+1
0.0pp
Dutch
+7
+0.4pp
Chinese
0
0.0pp
Indian
+9
+0.5pp
Filipino
-2
-0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Upper Burnie. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Burnie (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Burnie (C)% | Count | % | Burnie (C)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 833 | 44.1% | 46.1% | 910 | 50.0% | 47.9% | -77 | -5.9pp |
| English | 810 | 42.8% | 42.9% | 767 | 42.1% | 45.1% | +43 | +0.7pp |
| Irish | 173 | 9.1% | 9.4% | 166 | 9.1% | 10.3% | +7 | 0.0pp |
| Scottish | 150 | 7.9% | 9.1% | 144 | 7.9% | 8.8% | +6 | 0.0pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 148 | 7.8% | 7.6% | 14 | 0.8% | 0.4% | +134 | +7.0pp |
| German | 54 | 2.9% | 3.4% | 53 | 2.9% | 3.3% | +1 | 0.0pp |
| Dutch | 26 | 1.4% | 1.5% | 19 | 1.0% | 1.3% | +7 | +0.4pp |
| Chinese | 20 | 1.1% | 0.9% | 20 | 1.1% | 0.9% | 0 | 0.0pp |
| Indian | 17 | 0.9% | 0.9% | 8 | 0.4% | 0.5% | +9 | +0.5pp |
| Filipino | 16 | 0.8% | 0.6% | 18 | 1.0% | 0.5% | -2 | -0.2pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).