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 Bentley Park were Australian, English and Australian Aboriginal.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Bentley Park - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Bentley Park in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Cairns (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Bentley Park, with comparison markers for Cairns (R).
Australian
2021 count
2,851
% of total
34.1%
Change from 2016
-6.6pp
2,851
34.1%
-6.6pp
English
2021 count
2,617
% of total
31.3%
Change from 2016
-3.9pp
2,617
31.3%
-3.9pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
988
% of total
11.8%
Change from 2016
+10.5pp
988
11.8%
+10.5pp
Irish
2021 count
726
% of total
8.7%
Change from 2016
-1.8pp
726
8.7%
-1.8pp
Scottish
2021 count
685
% of total
8.2%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
685
8.2%
-0.6pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
581
% of total
6.9%
Change from 2016
+5.5pp
581
6.9%
+5.5pp
German
2021 count
417
% of total
5.0%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
417
5.0%
-0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
417
% of total
5.0%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
417
5.0%
+0.3pp
Hmong
2021 count
259
% of total
3.1%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
259
3.1%
+0.2pp
Filipino
2021 count
220
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
220
2.6%
+0.7pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-409
-6.6pp
English
-209
-3.9pp
Australian Aboriginal
+881
+10.5pp
Irish
-115
-1.8pp
Scottish
-22
-0.6pp
Torres Strait Islander
+469
+5.5pp
German
0
-0.2pp
Italian
+38
+0.3pp
Hmong
+24
+0.2pp
Filipino
+67
+0.7pp
Data table
Ancestry for Bentley Park. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Cairns (R).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Cairns (R)% | Count | % | Cairns (R)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 2,851 | 34.1% | 30.0% | 3,260 | 40.7% | 34.6% | -409 | -6.6pp |
| English | 2,617 | 31.3% | 34.4% | 2,826 | 35.2% | 35.1% | -209 | -3.9pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 988 | 11.8% | 7.1% | 107 | 1.3% | 1.2% | +881 | +10.5pp |
| Irish | 726 | 8.7% | 10.5% | 841 | 10.5% | 11.6% | -115 | -1.8pp |
| Scottish | 685 | 8.2% | 9.3% | 707 | 8.8% | 9.4% | -22 | -0.6pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 581 | 6.9% | 4.3% | 112 | 1.4% | 1.0% | +469 | +5.5pp |
| German | 417 | 5.0% | 5.2% | 417 | 5.2% | 5.4% | 0 | -0.2pp |
| Italian | 417 | 5.0% | 5.0% | 379 | 4.7% | 4.8% | +38 | +0.3pp |
| Hmong | 259 | 3.1% | 0.5% | 235 | 2.9% | 0.5% | +24 | +0.2pp |
| Filipino | 220 | 2.6% | 1.9% | 153 | 1.9% | 1.6% | +67 | +0.7pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).