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 Sun Valley (Qld) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Sun Valley (Qld) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Sun Valley (Qld) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Gladstone (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Sun Valley (Qld), with comparison markers for Gladstone (R).
English
2021 count
572
% of total
44.1%
Change from 2016
+2.0pp
572
44.1%
+2.0pp
Australian
2021 count
547
% of total
42.2%
Change from 2016
-3.2pp
547
42.2%
-3.2pp
Irish
2021 count
151
% of total
11.7%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
151
11.7%
-0.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
134
% of total
10.3%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
134
10.3%
+0.4pp
German
2021 count
83
% of total
6.4%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
83
6.4%
-0.6pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
67
% of total
5.2%
Change from 2016
+4.6pp
67
5.2%
+4.6pp
Italian
2021 count
29
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
29
2.2%
-0.4pp
Filipino
2021 count
21
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
21
1.6%
-0.3pp
South African
2021 count
17
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
17
1.3%
+0.6pp
Maori
2021 count
13
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
13
1.0%
-0.6pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+37
+2.0pp
Australian
-29
-3.2pp
Irish
-1
-0.3pp
Scottish
+8
+0.4pp
German
-6
-0.6pp
Australian Aboriginal
+60
+4.6pp
Italian
-4
-0.4pp
Filipino
-3
-0.3pp
South African
+8
+0.6pp
Maori
-7
-0.6pp
Data table
Ancestry for Sun Valley (Qld). 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 | 572 | 44.1% | 39.9% | 535 | 42.1% | 38.6% | +37 | +2.0pp |
| Australian | 547 | 42.2% | 41.3% | 576 | 45.4% | 43.2% | -29 | -3.2pp |
| Irish | 151 | 11.7% | 9.8% | 152 | 12.0% | 10.6% | -1 | -0.3pp |
| Scottish | 134 | 10.3% | 10.1% | 126 | 9.9% | 10.0% | +8 | +0.4pp |
| German | 83 | 6.4% | 6.8% | 89 | 7.0% | 6.7% | -6 | -0.6pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 67 | 5.2% | 5.8% | 7 | 0.6% | 0.4% | +60 | +4.6pp |
| Italian | 29 | 2.2% | 2.0% | 33 | 2.6% | 1.9% | -4 | -0.4pp |
| Filipino | 21 | 1.6% | 1.8% | 24 | 1.9% | 1.6% | -3 | -0.3pp |
| South African | 17 | 1.3% | 0.9% | 9 | 0.7% | 0.8% | +8 | +0.6pp |
| Maori | 13 | 1.0% | 1.1% | 20 | 1.6% | 1.2% | -7 | -0.6pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).