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 South Mackay were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
South Mackay - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for South Mackay in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mackay (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for South Mackay, with comparison markers for Mackay (R).
Australian
2021 count
2,542
% of total
36.7%
Change from 2016
-1.5pp
2,542
36.7%
-1.5pp
English
2021 count
2,520
% of total
36.4%
Change from 2016
-2.0pp
2,520
36.4%
-2.0pp
Irish
2021 count
777
% of total
11.2%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
777
11.2%
-0.9pp
Scottish
2021 count
678
% of total
9.8%
Change from 2016
-1.2pp
678
9.8%
-1.2pp
Filipino
2021 count
396
% of total
5.7%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
396
5.7%
+0.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
393
% of total
5.7%
Change from 2016
+5.3pp
393
5.7%
+5.3pp
German
2021 count
375
% of total
5.4%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
375
5.4%
-0.8pp
Italian
2021 count
196
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
196
2.8%
-0.2pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
193
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
+2.2pp
193
2.8%
+2.2pp
Maltese
2021 count
126
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
126
1.8%
-0.3pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-22
-1.5pp
English
-53
-2.0pp
Irish
-33
-0.9pp
Scottish
-62
-1.2pp
Filipino
+49
+0.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
+363
+5.3pp
German
-44
-0.8pp
Italian
-6
-0.2pp
Torres Strait Islander
+153
+2.2pp
Maltese
-14
-0.3pp
Data table
Ancestry for South Mackay. 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 | 2,542 | 36.7% | 38.3% | 2,564 | 38.2% | 41.3% | -22 | -1.5pp |
| English | 2,520 | 36.4% | 38.0% | 2,573 | 38.4% | 38.0% | -53 | -2.0pp |
| Irish | 777 | 11.2% | 10.4% | 810 | 12.1% | 11.7% | -33 | -0.9pp |
| Scottish | 678 | 9.8% | 10.3% | 740 | 11.0% | 10.9% | -62 | -1.2pp |
| Filipino | 396 | 5.7% | 2.0% | 347 | 5.2% | 1.7% | +49 | +0.5pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 393 | 5.7% | 4.8% | 30 | 0.4% | 0.5% | +363 | +5.3pp |
| German | 375 | 5.4% | 6.2% | 419 | 6.2% | 6.6% | -44 | -0.8pp |
| Italian | 196 | 2.8% | 3.2% | 202 | 3.0% | 3.0% | -6 | -0.2pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 193 | 2.8% | 2.0% | 40 | 0.6% | 0.3% | +153 | +2.2pp |
| Maltese | 126 | 1.8% | 3.2% | 140 | 2.1% | 3.1% | -14 | -0.3pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).