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 Smithton were Australian, English and Australian Aboriginal.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Smithton - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Smithton in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Circular Head (M) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Smithton, with comparison markers for Circular Head (M).
Australian
2021 count
1,762
% of total
44.8%
Change from 2016
-7.9pp
1,762
44.8%
-7.9pp
English
2021 count
1,553
% of total
39.5%
Change from 2016
-3.0pp
1,553
39.5%
-3.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
661
% of total
16.8%
Change from 2016
+16.2pp
661
16.8%
+16.2pp
Irish
2021 count
344
% of total
8.7%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
344
8.7%
-0.9pp
Scottish
2021 count
252
% of total
6.4%
Change from 2016
-1.6pp
252
6.4%
-1.6pp
German
2021 count
69
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
69
1.8%
-0.7pp
Dutch
2021 count
61
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
61
1.6%
0.0pp
Pakistani
2021 count
58
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
-
58
1.5%
-
Chinese
2021 count
36
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
36
0.9%
+0.3pp
Indian
2021 count
36
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
36
0.9%
+0.6pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-284
-7.9pp
English
-96
-3.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
+636
+16.2pp
Irish
-30
-0.9pp
Scottish
-57
-1.6pp
German
-27
-0.7pp
Dutch
-3
0.0pp
Chinese
+14
+0.3pp
Indian
+24
+0.6pp
Maori
+12
+0.3pp
Data table
Ancestry for Smithton. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Circular Head (M).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Circular Head (M)% | Count | % | Circular Head (M)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 1,762 | 44.8% | 44.2% | 2,046 | 52.7% | 51.4% | -284 | -7.9pp |
| English | 1,553 | 39.5% | 39.4% | 1,649 | 42.5% | 41.1% | -96 | -3.0pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 661 | 16.8% | 14.4% | 25 | 0.6% | 0.6% | +636 | +16.2pp |
| Irish | 344 | 8.7% | 9.4% | 374 | 9.6% | 9.8% | -30 | -0.9pp |
| Scottish | 252 | 6.4% | 7.5% | 309 | 8.0% | 8.3% | -57 | -1.6pp |
| German | 69 | 1.8% | 2.2% | 96 | 2.5% | 2.7% | -27 | -0.7pp |
| Dutch | 61 | 1.6% | 2.0% | 64 | 1.6% | 2.0% | -3 | 0.0pp |
| Pakistani | 58 | 1.5% | 1.3% | - | - | - | - | - |
| Chinese | 36 | 0.9% | 0.6% | 22 | 0.6% | 0.4% | +14 | +0.3pp |
| Indian | 36 | 0.9% | 0.6% | 12 | 0.3% | 0.2% | +24 | +0.6pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).