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 Mooroobool were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Mooroobool - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Mooroobool in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Cairns (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Mooroobool, with comparison markers for Cairns (R).
English
2021 count
2,086
% of total
29.2%
Change from 2016
-1.5pp
2,086
29.2%
-1.5pp
Australian
2021 count
1,960
% of total
27.5%
Change from 2016
-6.1pp
1,960
27.5%
-6.1pp
Irish
2021 count
652
% of total
9.1%
Change from 2016
-1.2pp
652
9.1%
-1.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
582
% of total
8.2%
Change from 2016
+7.2pp
582
8.2%
+7.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
582
% of total
8.2%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
582
8.2%
+0.1pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
483
% of total
6.8%
Change from 2016
+5.0pp
483
6.8%
+5.0pp
Italian
2021 count
396
% of total
5.5%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
396
5.5%
+0.5pp
German
2021 count
337
% of total
4.7%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
337
4.7%
-0.1pp
Nepalese
2021 count
248
% of total
3.5%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
248
3.5%
+1.4pp
Chinese
2021 count
219
% of total
3.1%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
219
3.1%
+0.4pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
-133
-1.5pp
Australian
-467
-6.1pp
Irish
-95
-1.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
+512
+7.2pp
Scottish
-1
+0.1pp
Torres Strait Islander
+354
+5.0pp
Italian
+36
+0.5pp
German
-10
-0.1pp
Nepalese
+97
+1.4pp
Chinese
+26
+0.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for Mooroobool. 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 | 2,086 | 29.2% | 34.4% | 2,219 | 30.7% | 35.1% | -133 | -1.5pp |
| Australian | 1,960 | 27.5% | 30.0% | 2,427 | 33.6% | 34.6% | -467 | -6.1pp |
| Irish | 652 | 9.1% | 10.5% | 747 | 10.3% | 11.6% | -95 | -1.2pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 582 | 8.2% | 7.1% | 70 | 1.0% | 1.2% | +512 | +7.2pp |
| Scottish | 582 | 8.2% | 9.3% | 583 | 8.1% | 9.4% | -1 | +0.1pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 483 | 6.8% | 4.3% | 129 | 1.8% | 1.0% | +354 | +5.0pp |
| Italian | 396 | 5.5% | 5.0% | 360 | 5.0% | 4.8% | +36 | +0.5pp |
| German | 337 | 4.7% | 5.2% | 347 | 4.8% | 5.4% | -10 | -0.1pp |
| Nepalese | 248 | 3.5% | 0.5% | 151 | 2.1% | 0.3% | +97 | +1.4pp |
| Chinese | 219 | 3.1% | 2.0% | 193 | 2.7% | 2.1% | +26 | +0.4pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).