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 Mirani were Australian, English and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Mirani - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Mirani in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mackay (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Mirani, with comparison markers for Mackay (R).
Australian
2021 count
833
% of total
46.1%
Change from 2016
+1.2pp
833
46.1%
+1.2pp
English
2021 count
597
% of total
33.1%
Change from 2016
-3.4pp
597
33.1%
-3.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
137
% of total
7.6%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
137
7.6%
-0.8pp
Irish
2021 count
125
% of total
6.9%
Change from 2016
-4.3pp
125
6.9%
-4.3pp
German
2021 count
116
% of total
6.4%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
116
6.4%
+0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
66
% of total
3.7%
Change from 2016
+3.5pp
66
3.7%
+3.5pp
Italian
2021 count
40
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
40
2.2%
+0.5pp
Maltese
2021 count
25
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
25
1.4%
-0.3pp
Dutch
2021 count
18
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
18
1.0%
-0.2pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
17
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
-
17
0.9%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+141
+1.2pp
English
+34
-3.4pp
Scottish
+8
-0.8pp
Irish
-47
-4.3pp
German
+24
+0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
+63
+3.5pp
Italian
+14
+0.5pp
Maltese
-1
-0.3pp
Dutch
-1
-0.2pp
New Zealander
-7
-0.6pp
Data table
Ancestry for Mirani. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mackay (R).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Mackay (R)% | Count | % | Mackay (R)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 833 | 46.1% | 38.3% | 692 | 44.9% | 41.3% | +141 | +1.2pp |
| English | 597 | 33.1% | 38.0% | 563 | 36.5% | 38.0% | +34 | -3.4pp |
| Scottish | 137 | 7.6% | 10.3% | 129 | 8.4% | 10.9% | +8 | -0.8pp |
| Irish | 125 | 6.9% | 10.4% | 172 | 11.2% | 11.7% | -47 | -4.3pp |
| German | 116 | 6.4% | 6.2% | 92 | 6.0% | 6.6% | +24 | +0.4pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 66 | 3.7% | 4.8% | 3 | 0.2% | 0.5% | +63 | +3.5pp |
| Italian | 40 | 2.2% | 3.2% | 26 | 1.7% | 3.0% | +14 | +0.5pp |
| Maltese | 25 | 1.4% | 3.2% | 26 | 1.7% | 3.1% | -1 | -0.3pp |
| Dutch | 18 | 1.0% | 1.4% | 19 | 1.2% | 1.3% | -1 | -0.2pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 17 | 0.9% | 2.0% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).