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 Agnes Water were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Agnes Water - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Agnes Water in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Gladstone (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Agnes Water, with comparison markers for Gladstone (R).
English
2021 count
1,087
% of total
20.0%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
1,087
20.0%
+0.2pp
Australian
2021 count
1,009
% of total
18.6%
Change from 2016
-1.6pp
1,009
18.6%
-1.6pp
Irish
2021 count
271
% of total
5.0%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
271
5.0%
-0.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
269
% of total
5.0%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
269
5.0%
0.0pp
German
2021 count
190
% of total
3.5%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
190
3.5%
+0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
63
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
-
63
1.2%
-
Italian
2021 count
62
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
62
1.1%
+0.2pp
Dutch
2021 count
39
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
39
0.7%
+0.2pp
New Zealander
2021 count
38
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
38
0.7%
-0.3pp
Russian
2021 count
23
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
23
0.4%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+213
+0.2pp
Australian
+117
-1.6pp
Irish
+44
-0.1pp
Scottish
+48
0.0pp
German
+46
+0.2pp
Italian
+22
+0.2pp
Dutch
+17
+0.2pp
New Zealander
-7
-0.3pp
Russian
+11
+0.1pp
South African
+9
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Agnes Water. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Gladstone (R).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Gladstone (R)% | Count | % | Gladstone (R)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 1,087 | 20.0% | 20.0% | 874 | 19.8% | 19.3% | +213 | +0.2pp |
| Australian | 1,009 | 18.6% | 20.7% | 892 | 20.2% | 21.6% | +117 | -1.6pp |
| Irish | 271 | 5.0% | 4.9% | 227 | 5.1% | 5.3% | +44 | -0.1pp |
| Scottish | 269 | 5.0% | 5.0% | 221 | 5.0% | 5.0% | +48 | 0.0pp |
| German | 190 | 3.5% | 3.4% | 144 | 3.3% | 3.3% | +46 | +0.2pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 63 | 1.2% | 2.9% | - | - | 0.2% | - | - |
| Italian | 62 | 1.1% | 1.0% | 40 | 0.9% | 0.9% | +22 | +0.2pp |
| Dutch | 39 | 0.7% | 0.7% | 22 | 0.5% | 0.7% | +17 | +0.2pp |
| New Zealander | 38 | 0.7% | 0.6% | 45 | 1.0% | 0.7% | -7 | -0.3pp |
| Russian | 23 | 0.4% | 0.2% | 12 | 0.3% | 0.1% | +11 | +0.1pp |
| Total | 5,426 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 4,409 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +1,017 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).