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 Christmas Island were Chinese, Australian and Malay.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Christmas Island - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Christmas Island in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Other Territories and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Christmas Island, with comparison markers for Other Territories.
Chinese
2021 count
376
% of total
11.2%
Change from 2016
-
376
11.2%
-
Australian
2021 count
288
% of total
8.6%
Change from 2016
-
288
8.6%
-
Malay
2021 count
272
% of total
8.1%
Change from 2016
-
272
8.1%
-
English
2021 count
212
% of total
6.3%
Change from 2016
-
212
6.3%
-
Indonesian
2021 count
65
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
-
65
1.9%
-
Irish
2021 count
56
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
-
56
1.7%
-
Scottish
2021 count
47
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
-
47
1.4%
-
German
2021 count
28
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
-
28
0.8%
-
Filipino
2021 count
27
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
-
27
0.8%
-
Indian
2021 count
24
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-
24
0.7%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Data table
Ancestry for Christmas Island. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Other Territories.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Other Territories% | Count | % | Other Territories% | Count | pp | |
| Chinese | 376 | 11.2% | 4.2% | - | - | 5.4% | - | - |
| Australian | 288 | 8.6% | 11.7% | - | - | 12.0% | - | - |
| Malay | 272 | 8.1% | 3.9% | - | - | 4.1% | - | - |
| English | 212 | 6.3% | 9.5% | - | - | 10.4% | - | - |
| Indonesian | 65 | 1.9% | 1.4% | - | - | 1.6% | - | - |
| Irish | 56 | 1.7% | 2.3% | - | - | 2.3% | - | - |
| Scottish | 47 | 1.4% | 2.7% | - | - | 2.3% | - | - |
| German | 28 | 0.8% | 0.9% | - | - | 1.0% | - | - |
| Filipino | 27 | 0.8% | 0.7% | - | - | 0.8% | - | - |
| Indian | 24 | 0.7% | 0.3% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
| Total | 3,357 | 100.0% | 100.0% | - | - | 100.0% | - | - |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).