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 Mirriwinni were Australian, English and Italian.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Mirriwinni - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Mirriwinni in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Cairns (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Mirriwinni, with comparison markers for Cairns (R).
Australian
2021 count
172
% of total
35.0%
Change from 2016
-5.0pp
172
35.0%
-5.0pp
English
2021 count
145
% of total
29.5%
Change from 2016
-1.1pp
145
29.5%
-1.1pp
Italian
2021 count
73
% of total
14.8%
Change from 2016
-4.0pp
73
14.8%
-4.0pp
Irish
2021 count
55
% of total
11.2%
Change from 2016
-2.2pp
55
11.2%
-2.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
41
% of total
8.3%
Change from 2016
+1.1pp
41
8.3%
+1.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
33
% of total
6.7%
Change from 2016
-
33
6.7%
-
German
2021 count
23
% of total
4.7%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
23
4.7%
-0.4pp
Maltese
2021 count
13
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
+1.7pp
13
2.6%
+1.7pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
12
% of total
2.4%
Change from 2016
-
12
2.4%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-7
-5.0pp
English
+8
-1.1pp
Italian
-11
-4.0pp
Irish
-5
-2.2pp
Scottish
+9
+1.1pp
German
0
-0.4pp
Maltese
+9
+1.7pp
Data table
Ancestry for Mirriwinni. 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 | 172 | 35.0% | 30.0% | 179 | 40.0% | 34.6% | -7 | -5.0pp |
| English | 145 | 29.5% | 34.4% | 137 | 30.6% | 35.1% | +8 | -1.1pp |
| Italian | 73 | 14.8% | 5.0% | 84 | 18.8% | 4.8% | -11 | -4.0pp |
| Irish | 55 | 11.2% | 10.5% | 60 | 13.4% | 11.6% | -5 | -2.2pp |
| Scottish | 41 | 8.3% | 9.3% | 32 | 7.2% | 9.4% | +9 | +1.1pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 33 | 6.7% | 7.1% | - | - | 1.2% | - | - |
| German | 23 | 4.7% | 5.2% | 23 | 5.1% | 5.4% | 0 | -0.4pp |
| Maltese | 13 | 2.6% | 0.5% | 4 | 0.9% | 0.4% | +9 | +1.7pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 12 | 2.4% | 4.3% | - | - | 1.0% | - | - |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).