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 Derwent Valley (M) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Derwent Valley (M) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Derwent Valley (M) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Tas. and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Derwent Valley (M), with comparison markers for Regional Tas..
English
2021 count
5,124
% of total
23.5%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
5,124
23.5%
+0.1pp
Australian
2021 count
4,925
% of total
22.6%
Change from 2016
-1.0pp
4,925
22.6%
-1.0pp
Irish
2021 count
1,040
% of total
4.8%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
1,040
4.8%
+0.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
789
% of total
3.6%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
789
3.6%
+0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
629
% of total
2.9%
Change from 2016
+2.8pp
629
2.9%
+2.8pp
German
2021 count
381
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
381
1.7%
+0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
129
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
129
0.6%
+0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
92
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
92
0.4%
0.0pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
68
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
-
68
0.3%
-
Polish
2021 count
65
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
65
0.3%
0.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+450
+0.1pp
Australian
+204
-1.0pp
Irish
+166
+0.4pp
Scottish
+116
+0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
+605
+2.8pp
German
+68
+0.1pp
Dutch
+23
+0.1pp
Italian
+20
0.0pp
Polish
+10
0.0pp
Welsh
+12
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Derwent Valley (M). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional Tas..
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional Tas.% | Count | % | Regional Tas.% | Count | pp | |
| English | 5,124 | 23.5% | 22.3% | 4,674 | 23.4% | 22.3% | +450 | +0.1pp |
| Australian | 4,925 | 22.6% | 21.3% | 4,721 | 23.6% | 22.5% | +204 | -1.0pp |
| Irish | 1,040 | 4.8% | 4.9% | 874 | 4.4% | 5.1% | +166 | +0.4pp |
| Scottish | 789 | 3.6% | 4.7% | 673 | 3.4% | 4.6% | +116 | +0.2pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 629 | 2.9% | 2.7% | 24 | 0.1% | 0.2% | +605 | +2.8pp |
| German | 381 | 1.7% | 1.7% | 313 | 1.6% | 1.7% | +68 | +0.1pp |
| Dutch | 129 | 0.6% | 1.1% | 106 | 0.5% | 1.0% | +23 | +0.1pp |
| Italian | 92 | 0.4% | 0.6% | 72 | 0.4% | 0.6% | +20 | 0.0pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 68 | 0.3% | 0.2% | - | - | 0.0% | - | - |
| Polish | 65 | 0.3% | 0.3% | 55 | 0.3% | 0.2% | +10 | 0.0pp |
| Total | 21,839 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 20,009 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +1,830 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).