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 Earlville were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Earlville - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Earlville in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Cairns (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Earlville, with comparison markers for Cairns (R).
English
2021 count
1,449
% of total
17.3%
Change from 2016
-3.7pp
1,449
17.3%
-3.7pp
Australian
2021 count
1,170
% of total
14.0%
Change from 2016
-10.5pp
1,170
14.0%
-10.5pp
Irish
2021 count
504
% of total
6.0%
Change from 2016
-1.1pp
504
6.0%
-1.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
405
% of total
4.8%
Change from 2016
-1.6pp
405
4.8%
-1.6pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
337
% of total
4.0%
Change from 2016
-
337
4.0%
-
German
2021 count
196
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
196
2.3%
-0.3pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
190
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
-
190
2.3%
-
Italian
2021 count
157
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
-
157
1.9%
-
Chinese
2021 count
108
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
-
108
1.3%
-
Filipino
2021 count
93
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
-
93
1.1%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+1,354
-3.7pp
Australian
+1,059
-10.5pp
Irish
+472
-1.1pp
Scottish
+376
-1.6pp
German
+184
-0.3pp
Dutch
+48
-0.1pp
New Zealander
+35
-0.8pp
Data table
Ancestry for Earlville. 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 | |
| English | 1,449 | 17.3% | 17.2% | 95 | 21.0% | 17.5% | +1,354 | -3.7pp |
| Australian | 1,170 | 14.0% | 15.0% | 111 | 24.5% | 17.3% | +1,059 | -10.5pp |
| Irish | 504 | 6.0% | 5.2% | 32 | 7.1% | 5.8% | +472 | -1.1pp |
| Scottish | 405 | 4.8% | 4.7% | 29 | 6.4% | 4.7% | +376 | -1.6pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 337 | 4.0% | 3.5% | - | - | 0.6% | - | - |
| German | 196 | 2.3% | 2.6% | 12 | 2.6% | 2.7% | +184 | -0.3pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 190 | 2.3% | 2.2% | - | - | 0.5% | - | - |
| Italian | 157 | 1.9% | 2.5% | - | - | 2.4% | - | - |
| Chinese | 108 | 1.3% | 1.0% | - | - | 1.1% | - | - |
| Filipino | 93 | 1.1% | 1.0% | - | - | 0.8% | - | - |
| Total | 8,356 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 453 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +7,903 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).