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 Cooktown were Australian, English and Australian Aboriginal.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Cooktown - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Cooktown in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Cook (S) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Cooktown, with comparison markers for Cook (S).
Australian
2021 count
931
% of total
33.9%
Change from 2016
-8.1pp
931
33.9%
-8.1pp
English
2021 count
855
% of total
31.1%
Change from 2016
-1.7pp
855
31.1%
-1.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
420
% of total
15.3%
Change from 2016
+12.5pp
420
15.3%
+12.5pp
Irish
2021 count
267
% of total
9.7%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
267
9.7%
-0.6pp
Scottish
2021 count
219
% of total
8.0%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
219
8.0%
-0.5pp
German
2021 count
147
% of total
5.4%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
147
5.4%
-0.6pp
Italian
2021 count
46
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
46
1.7%
-0.6pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
44
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
44
1.6%
+1.0pp
Dutch
2021 count
36
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
36
1.3%
0.0pp
Filipino
2021 count
32
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
32
1.2%
-0.4pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-175
-8.1pp
English
-9
-1.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
+346
+12.5pp
Irish
-5
-0.6pp
Scottish
-5
-0.5pp
German
-11
-0.6pp
Italian
-14
-0.6pp
Torres Strait Islander
+27
+1.0pp
Dutch
+1
0.0pp
Filipino
-9
-0.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for Cooktown. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Cook (S).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Cook (S)% | Count | % | Cook (S)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 931 | 33.9% | 29.5% | 1,106 | 42.0% | 35.8% | -175 | -8.1pp |
| English | 855 | 31.1% | 28.4% | 864 | 32.8% | 28.9% | -9 | -1.7pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 420 | 15.3% | 19.2% | 74 | 2.8% | 10.1% | +346 | +12.5pp |
| Irish | 267 | 9.7% | 8.8% | 272 | 10.3% | 9.3% | -5 | -0.6pp |
| Scottish | 219 | 8.0% | 7.2% | 224 | 8.5% | 7.5% | -5 | -0.5pp |
| German | 147 | 5.4% | 4.7% | 158 | 6.0% | 5.2% | -11 | -0.6pp |
| Italian | 46 | 1.7% | 1.7% | 60 | 2.3% | 2.3% | -14 | -0.6pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 44 | 1.6% | 2.2% | 17 | 0.6% | 1.0% | +27 | +1.0pp |
| Dutch | 36 | 1.3% | 1.2% | 35 | 1.3% | 1.2% | +1 | 0.0pp |
| Filipino | 32 | 1.2% | 1.0% | 41 | 1.6% | 1.0% | -9 | -0.4pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).