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 Mackay (R) were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Mackay (R) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Mackay (R) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Qld and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Mackay (R), with comparison markers for Regional Qld.
Australian
2021 count
46,631
% of total
38.3%
Change from 2016
-3.0pp
46,631
38.3%
-3.0pp
English
2021 count
46,289
% of total
38.0%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
46,289
38.0%
0.0pp
Irish
2021 count
12,688
% of total
10.4%
Change from 2016
-1.3pp
12,688
10.4%
-1.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
12,522
% of total
10.3%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
12,522
10.3%
-0.6pp
German
2021 count
7,592
% of total
6.2%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
7,592
6.2%
-0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
5,790
% of total
4.8%
Change from 2016
+4.3pp
5,790
4.8%
+4.3pp
Maltese
2021 count
3,853
% of total
3.2%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
3,853
3.2%
+0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
3,835
% of total
3.2%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
3,835
3.2%
+0.2pp
Filipino
2021 count
2,474
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
2,474
2.0%
+0.3pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
2,402
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
+1.7pp
2,402
2.0%
+1.7pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-799
-3.0pp
English
+2,656
0.0pp
Irish
-809
-1.3pp
Scottish
+26
-0.6pp
German
+25
-0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
+5,174
+4.3pp
Maltese
+277
+0.1pp
Italian
+380
+0.2pp
Filipino
+555
+0.3pp
Torres Strait Islander
+2,000
+1.7pp
Data table
Ancestry for Mackay (R). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional Qld.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 46,631 | 38.3% | 35.3% | 47,430 | 41.3% | 37.7% | -799 | -3.0pp |
| English | 46,289 | 38.0% | 39.6% | 43,633 | 38.0% | 39.2% | +2,656 | 0.0pp |
| Irish | 12,688 | 10.4% | 10.9% | 13,497 | 11.7% | 11.7% | -809 | -1.3pp |
| Scottish | 12,522 | 10.3% | 10.4% | 12,496 | 10.9% | 10.4% | +26 | -0.6pp |
| German | 7,592 | 6.2% | 6.3% | 7,567 | 6.6% | 6.6% | +25 | -0.4pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 5,790 | 4.8% | 5.1% | 616 | 0.5% | 1.2% | +5,174 | +4.3pp |
| Maltese | 3,853 | 3.2% | 0.5% | 3,576 | 3.1% | 0.5% | +277 | +0.1pp |
| Italian | 3,835 | 3.2% | 3.2% | 3,455 | 3.0% | 3.0% | +380 | +0.2pp |
| Filipino | 2,474 | 2.0% | 1.3% | 1,919 | 1.7% | 1.0% | +555 | +0.3pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 2,402 | 2.0% | 1.3% | 402 | 0.3% | 0.5% | +2,000 | +1.7pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).