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 Whitfield (Qld) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Whitfield (Qld) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Whitfield (Qld) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Cairns (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Whitfield (Qld), with comparison markers for Cairns (R).
English
2021 count
1,690
% of total
39.7%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
1,690
39.7%
-0.2pp
Australian
2021 count
1,359
% of total
31.9%
Change from 2016
-3.4pp
1,359
31.9%
-3.4pp
Irish
2021 count
559
% of total
13.1%
Change from 2016
-2.6pp
559
13.1%
-2.6pp
Scottish
2021 count
469
% of total
11.0%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
469
11.0%
-0.4pp
German
2021 count
251
% of total
5.9%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
251
5.9%
-0.5pp
Italian
2021 count
225
% of total
5.3%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
225
5.3%
+0.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
200
% of total
4.7%
Change from 2016
+4.1pp
200
4.7%
+4.1pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
114
% of total
2.7%
Change from 2016
+2.0pp
114
2.7%
+2.0pp
Japanese
2021 count
101
% of total
2.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
101
2.4%
+0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
94
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
94
2.2%
+0.6pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
-17
-0.2pp
Australian
-152
-3.4pp
Irish
-112
-2.6pp
Scottish
-19
-0.4pp
German
-21
-0.5pp
Italian
+30
+0.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
+174
+4.1pp
Torres Strait Islander
+86
+2.0pp
Japanese
+4
+0.1pp
Dutch
+27
+0.6pp
Data table
Ancestry for Whitfield (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 | 1,690 | 39.7% | 34.4% | 1,707 | 39.9% | 35.1% | -17 | -0.2pp |
| Australian | 1,359 | 31.9% | 30.0% | 1,511 | 35.3% | 34.6% | -152 | -3.4pp |
| Irish | 559 | 13.1% | 10.5% | 671 | 15.7% | 11.6% | -112 | -2.6pp |
| Scottish | 469 | 11.0% | 9.3% | 488 | 11.4% | 9.4% | -19 | -0.4pp |
| German | 251 | 5.9% | 5.2% | 272 | 6.4% | 5.4% | -21 | -0.5pp |
| Italian | 225 | 5.3% | 5.0% | 195 | 4.6% | 4.8% | +30 | +0.7pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 200 | 4.7% | 7.1% | 26 | 0.6% | 1.2% | +174 | +4.1pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 114 | 2.7% | 4.3% | 28 | 0.7% | 1.0% | +86 | +2.0pp |
| Japanese | 101 | 2.4% | 1.6% | 97 | 2.3% | 1.6% | +4 | +0.1pp |
| Dutch | 94 | 2.2% | 1.6% | 67 | 1.6% | 1.6% | +27 | +0.6pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).