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 South Gladstone were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
South Gladstone - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for South Gladstone in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Gladstone (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for South Gladstone, with comparison markers for Gladstone (R).
English
2021 count
1,355
% of total
19.6%
Change from 2016
-3.8pp
1,355
19.6%
-3.8pp
Australian
2021 count
1,347
% of total
19.4%
Change from 2016
+2.6pp
1,347
19.4%
+2.6pp
Scottish
2021 count
337
% of total
4.9%
Change from 2016
-4.8pp
337
4.9%
-4.8pp
Irish
2021 count
307
% of total
4.4%
Change from 2016
-1.3pp
307
4.4%
-1.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
234
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
-
234
3.4%
-
German
2021 count
210
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
-3.3pp
210
3.0%
-3.3pp
Filipino
2021 count
162
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
-
162
2.3%
-
Italian
2021 count
65
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
65
0.9%
-0.2pp
Indian
2021 count
45
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
-
45
0.6%
-
Dutch
2021 count
44
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
-
44
0.6%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+1,273
-3.8pp
Australian
+1,288
+2.6pp
Scottish
+303
-4.8pp
Irish
+287
-1.3pp
German
+188
-3.3pp
Italian
+61
-0.2pp
Maori
+38
-0.3pp
New Zealander
+35
-0.5pp
Data table
Ancestry for South Gladstone. 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 | 1,355 | 19.6% | 20.0% | 82 | 23.4% | 19.3% | +1,273 | -3.8pp |
| Australian | 1,347 | 19.4% | 20.7% | 59 | 16.8% | 21.6% | +1,288 | +2.6pp |
| Scottish | 337 | 4.9% | 5.0% | 34 | 9.7% | 5.0% | +303 | -4.8pp |
| Irish | 307 | 4.4% | 4.9% | 20 | 5.7% | 5.3% | +287 | -1.3pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 234 | 3.4% | 2.9% | - | - | 0.2% | - | - |
| German | 210 | 3.0% | 3.4% | 22 | 6.3% | 3.3% | +188 | -3.3pp |
| Filipino | 162 | 2.3% | 0.9% | - | - | 0.8% | - | - |
| Italian | 65 | 0.9% | 1.0% | 4 | 1.1% | 0.9% | +61 | -0.2pp |
| Indian | 45 | 0.6% | 0.4% | - | - | 0.5% | - | - |
| Dutch | 44 | 0.6% | 0.7% | - | - | 0.7% | - | - |
| Total | 6,929 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 351 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +6,578 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).