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 Moranbah were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Moranbah - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Moranbah in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Isaac (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Moranbah, with comparison markers for Isaac (R).
Australian
2021 count
3,350
% of total
35.5%
Change from 2016
-7.5pp
3,350
35.5%
-7.5pp
English
2021 count
3,187
% of total
33.8%
Change from 2016
-1.5pp
3,187
33.8%
-1.5pp
Irish
2021 count
812
% of total
8.6%
Change from 2016
-2.5pp
812
8.6%
-2.5pp
Scottish
2021 count
777
% of total
8.2%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
777
8.2%
-0.6pp
German
2021 count
481
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
481
5.1%
+0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
454
% of total
4.8%
Change from 2016
+4.5pp
454
4.8%
+4.5pp
Filipino
2021 count
256
% of total
2.7%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
256
2.7%
+0.5pp
Italian
2021 count
219
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
219
2.3%
+0.4pp
Maori
2021 count
190
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
190
2.0%
+0.5pp
Dutch
2021 count
132
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
132
1.4%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-404
-7.5pp
English
+102
-1.5pp
Irish
-158
-2.5pp
Scottish
+9
-0.6pp
German
+43
+0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
+427
+4.5pp
Filipino
+63
+0.5pp
Italian
+50
+0.4pp
Maori
+63
+0.5pp
Dutch
+20
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Moranbah. 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 | 3,350 | 35.5% | 36.4% | 3,754 | 43.0% | 43.2% | -404 | -7.5pp |
| English | 3,187 | 33.8% | 33.4% | 3,085 | 35.3% | 34.7% | +102 | -1.5pp |
| Irish | 812 | 8.6% | 8.8% | 970 | 11.1% | 10.6% | -158 | -2.5pp |
| Scottish | 777 | 8.2% | 8.1% | 768 | 8.8% | 9.3% | +9 | -0.6pp |
| German | 481 | 5.1% | 5.0% | 438 | 5.0% | 5.3% | +43 | +0.1pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 454 | 4.8% | 4.5% | 27 | 0.3% | 0.3% | +427 | +4.5pp |
| Filipino | 256 | 2.7% | 2.0% | 193 | 2.2% | 1.6% | +63 | +0.5pp |
| Italian | 219 | 2.3% | 1.9% | 169 | 1.9% | 1.9% | +50 | +0.4pp |
| Maori | 190 | 2.0% | 1.6% | 127 | 1.5% | 1.2% | +63 | +0.5pp |
| Dutch | 132 | 1.4% | 1.1% | 112 | 1.3% | 1.0% | +20 | +0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).