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 Smithfield (Qld) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Smithfield (Qld) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Smithfield (Qld) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Cairns (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Smithfield (Qld), with comparison markers for Cairns (R).
English
2021 count
2,314
% of total
17.4%
Change from 2016
-2.2pp
2,314
17.4%
-2.2pp
Australian
2021 count
2,073
% of total
15.6%
Change from 2016
-1.0pp
2,073
15.6%
-1.0pp
Irish
2021 count
676
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
-3.1pp
676
5.1%
-3.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
674
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
-1.7pp
674
5.1%
-1.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
346
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
+2.6pp
346
2.6%
+2.6pp
German
2021 count
340
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
340
2.6%
-0.7pp
Italian
2021 count
327
% of total
2.5%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
327
2.5%
+0.9pp
Chinese
2021 count
215
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
215
1.6%
+0.2pp
Indian
2021 count
166
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
166
1.2%
+0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
142
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
142
1.1%
+0.3pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+239
-2.2pp
Australian
+318
-1.0pp
Irish
-194
-3.1pp
Scottish
-50
-1.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
+341
+2.6pp
German
-14
-0.7pp
Italian
+157
+0.9pp
Chinese
+71
+0.2pp
Indian
+48
+0.1pp
Dutch
+61
+0.3pp
Data table
Ancestry for Smithfield (Qld). 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 | 2,314 | 17.4% | 17.2% | 2,075 | 19.6% | 17.5% | +239 | -2.2pp |
| Australian | 2,073 | 15.6% | 15.0% | 1,755 | 16.6% | 17.3% | +318 | -1.0pp |
| Irish | 676 | 5.1% | 5.2% | 870 | 8.2% | 5.8% | -194 | -3.1pp |
| Scottish | 674 | 5.1% | 4.7% | 724 | 6.8% | 4.7% | -50 | -1.7pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 346 | 2.6% | 3.5% | 5 | 0.0% | 0.6% | +341 | +2.6pp |
| German | 340 | 2.6% | 2.6% | 354 | 3.3% | 2.7% | -14 | -0.7pp |
| Italian | 327 | 2.5% | 2.5% | 170 | 1.6% | 2.4% | +157 | +0.9pp |
| Chinese | 215 | 1.6% | 1.0% | 144 | 1.4% | 1.1% | +71 | +0.2pp |
| Indian | 166 | 1.2% | 0.6% | 118 | 1.1% | 0.6% | +48 | +0.1pp |
| Dutch | 142 | 1.1% | 0.8% | 81 | 0.8% | 0.8% | +61 | +0.3pp |
| Total | 13,288 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 10,579 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +2,709 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).