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 Katherine East were Australian, Australian Aboriginal and English.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Katherine East - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Katherine East in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Katherine (T) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Katherine East, with comparison markers for Katherine (T).
Australian
2021 count
842
% of total
27.5%
Change from 2016
-14.9pp
842
27.5%
-14.9pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
834
% of total
27.2%
Change from 2016
+24.3pp
834
27.2%
+24.3pp
English
2021 count
613
% of total
20.0%
Change from 2016
-6.0pp
613
20.0%
-6.0pp
Irish
2021 count
203
% of total
6.6%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
203
6.6%
+0.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
189
% of total
6.2%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
189
6.2%
-0.9pp
Filipino
2021 count
177
% of total
5.8%
Change from 2016
+1.2pp
177
5.8%
+1.2pp
German
2021 count
121
% of total
4.0%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
121
4.0%
-0.2pp
Nepalese
2021 count
83
% of total
2.7%
Change from 2016
+1.9pp
83
2.7%
+1.9pp
Indian
2021 count
72
% of total
2.4%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
72
2.4%
+0.3pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
63
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
-
63
2.1%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-479
-14.9pp
Australian Aboriginal
+744
+24.3pp
English
-198
-6.0pp
Irish
+8
+0.3pp
Scottish
-32
-0.9pp
Filipino
+34
+1.2pp
German
-9
-0.2pp
Nepalese
+57
+1.9pp
Indian
+6
+0.3pp
Italian
-14
-0.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for Katherine East. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Katherine (T).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Katherine (T)% | Count | % | Katherine (T)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 842 | 27.5% | 29.9% | 1,321 | 42.4% | 38.2% | -479 | -14.9pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 834 | 27.2% | 23.0% | 90 | 2.9% | 8.1% | +744 | +24.3pp |
| English | 613 | 20.0% | 24.3% | 811 | 26.0% | 24.4% | -198 | -6.0pp |
| Irish | 203 | 6.6% | 7.6% | 195 | 6.3% | 7.4% | +8 | +0.3pp |
| Scottish | 189 | 6.2% | 6.8% | 221 | 7.1% | 7.0% | -32 | -0.9pp |
| Filipino | 177 | 5.8% | 3.2% | 143 | 4.6% | 2.7% | +34 | +1.2pp |
| German | 121 | 4.0% | 4.3% | 130 | 4.2% | 4.2% | -9 | -0.2pp |
| Nepalese | 83 | 2.7% | 1.7% | 26 | 0.8% | 0.4% | +57 | +1.9pp |
| Indian | 72 | 2.4% | 1.3% | 66 | 2.1% | 1.3% | +6 | +0.3pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 63 | 2.1% | 1.1% | - | - | 0.0% | - | - |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).