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 Middlemount were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Middlemount - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Middlemount in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Isaac (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Middlemount, with comparison markers for Isaac (R).
Australian
2021 count
593
% of total
31.2%
Change from 2016
-12.6pp
593
31.2%
-12.6pp
English
2021 count
520
% of total
27.4%
Change from 2016
-4.6pp
520
27.4%
-4.6pp
Irish
2021 count
136
% of total
7.2%
Change from 2016
-5.0pp
136
7.2%
-5.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
130
% of total
6.8%
Change from 2016
-4.9pp
130
6.8%
-4.9pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
96
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
+4.8pp
96
5.1%
+4.8pp
German
2021 count
80
% of total
4.2%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
80
4.2%
-0.7pp
Maori
2021 count
39
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
39
2.1%
+0.6pp
South African
2021 count
35
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
35
1.8%
+0.8pp
Italian
2021 count
28
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
28
1.5%
-0.6pp
Chinese
2021 count
20
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
20
1.1%
+0.4pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-214
-12.6pp
English
-69
-4.6pp
Irish
-89
-5.0pp
Scottish
-86
-4.9pp
Australian Aboriginal
+91
+4.8pp
German
-11
-0.7pp
Maori
+12
+0.6pp
South African
+17
+0.8pp
Italian
-10
-0.6pp
Chinese
+8
+0.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for Middlemount. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Isaac (R).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Isaac (R)% | Count | % | Isaac (R)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 593 | 31.2% | 36.4% | 807 | 43.8% | 43.2% | -214 | -12.6pp |
| English | 520 | 27.4% | 33.4% | 589 | 32.0% | 34.7% | -69 | -4.6pp |
| Irish | 136 | 7.2% | 8.8% | 225 | 12.2% | 10.6% | -89 | -5.0pp |
| Scottish | 130 | 6.8% | 8.1% | 216 | 11.7% | 9.3% | -86 | -4.9pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 96 | 5.1% | 4.5% | 5 | 0.3% | 0.3% | +91 | +4.8pp |
| German | 80 | 4.2% | 5.0% | 91 | 4.9% | 5.3% | -11 | -0.7pp |
| Maori | 39 | 2.1% | 1.6% | 27 | 1.5% | 1.2% | +12 | +0.6pp |
| South African | 35 | 1.8% | 0.6% | 18 | 1.0% | 0.6% | +17 | +0.8pp |
| Italian | 28 | 1.5% | 1.9% | 38 | 2.1% | 1.9% | -10 | -0.6pp |
| Chinese | 20 | 1.1% | 0.7% | 12 | 0.7% | 0.8% | +8 | +0.4pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).