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 Tannum Sands were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Tannum Sands - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Tannum Sands in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Gladstone (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Tannum Sands, with comparison markers for Gladstone (R).
English
2021 count
2,230
% of total
21.4%
Change from 2016
-4.4pp
2,230
21.4%
-4.4pp
Australian
2021 count
2,101
% of total
20.1%
Change from 2016
-4.6pp
2,101
20.1%
-4.6pp
Scottish
2021 count
641
% of total
6.1%
Change from 2016
+2.9pp
641
6.1%
+2.9pp
Irish
2021 count
600
% of total
5.7%
Change from 2016
-
600
5.7%
-
German
2021 count
377
% of total
3.6%
Change from 2016
-
377
3.6%
-
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
258
% of total
2.5%
Change from 2016
-
258
2.5%
-
Italian
2021 count
122
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
-
122
1.2%
-
Dutch
2021 count
100
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
-
100
1.0%
-
New Zealander
2021 count
94
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
-
94
0.9%
-
South African
2021 count
77
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-
77
0.7%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+2,206
-4.4pp
Australian
+2,078
-4.6pp
Scottish
+638
+2.9pp
Filipino
+26
-2.9pp
Data table
Ancestry for Tannum Sands. 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 | 2,230 | 21.4% | 20.0% | 24 | 25.8% | 19.3% | +2,206 | -4.4pp |
| Australian | 2,101 | 20.1% | 20.7% | 23 | 24.7% | 21.6% | +2,078 | -4.6pp |
| Scottish | 641 | 6.1% | 5.0% | 3 | 3.2% | 5.0% | +638 | +2.9pp |
| Irish | 600 | 5.7% | 4.9% | - | - | 5.3% | - | - |
| German | 377 | 3.6% | 3.4% | - | - | 3.3% | - | - |
| Australian Aboriginal | 258 | 2.5% | 2.9% | - | - | 0.2% | - | - |
| Italian | 122 | 1.2% | 1.0% | - | - | 0.9% | - | - |
| Dutch | 100 | 1.0% | 0.7% | - | - | 0.7% | - | - |
| New Zealander | 94 | 0.9% | 0.6% | - | - | 0.7% | - | - |
| South African | 77 | 0.7% | 0.4% | - | - | 0.4% | - | - |
| Total | 10,436 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 93 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +10,343 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).