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 Healy were Australian, English and Australian Aboriginal.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Healy - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Healy in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mount Isa (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Healy, with comparison markers for Mount Isa (C).
Australian
2021 count
789
% of total
43.3%
Change from 2016
-2.3pp
789
43.3%
-2.3pp
English
2021 count
558
% of total
30.6%
Change from 2016
-2.9pp
558
30.6%
-2.9pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
250
% of total
13.7%
Change from 2016
+11.1pp
250
13.7%
+11.1pp
Irish
2021 count
167
% of total
9.2%
Change from 2016
-3.4pp
167
9.2%
-3.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
164
% of total
9.0%
Change from 2016
-1.8pp
164
9.0%
-1.8pp
German
2021 count
95
% of total
5.2%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
95
5.2%
-0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
49
% of total
2.7%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
49
2.7%
-0.5pp
Filipino
2021 count
44
% of total
2.4%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
44
2.4%
+0.2pp
Dutch
2021 count
36
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
36
2.0%
+0.7pp
South African
2021 count
34
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
34
1.9%
+1.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-67
-2.3pp
English
-72
-2.9pp
Australian Aboriginal
+201
+11.1pp
Irish
-70
-3.4pp
Scottish
-38
-1.8pp
German
-5
-0.1pp
Italian
-11
-0.5pp
Filipino
+3
+0.2pp
Dutch
+11
+0.7pp
South African
+17
+1.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Healy. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mount Isa (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Mount Isa (C)% | Count | % | Mount Isa (C)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 789 | 43.3% | 33.4% | 856 | 45.6% | 41.0% | -67 | -2.3pp |
| English | 558 | 30.6% | 28.5% | 630 | 33.5% | 30.3% | -72 | -2.9pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 250 | 13.7% | 19.1% | 49 | 2.6% | 3.2% | +201 | +11.1pp |
| Irish | 167 | 9.2% | 8.9% | 237 | 12.6% | 10.9% | -70 | -3.4pp |
| Scottish | 164 | 9.0% | 7.2% | 202 | 10.8% | 8.4% | -38 | -1.8pp |
| German | 95 | 5.2% | 4.4% | 100 | 5.3% | 4.9% | -5 | -0.1pp |
| Italian | 49 | 2.7% | 2.5% | 60 | 3.2% | 2.5% | -11 | -0.5pp |
| Filipino | 44 | 2.4% | 3.8% | 41 | 2.2% | 3.1% | +3 | +0.2pp |
| Dutch | 36 | 2.0% | 1.0% | 25 | 1.3% | 1.0% | +11 | +0.7pp |
| South African | 34 | 1.9% | 0.5% | 17 | 0.9% | 0.5% | +17 | +1.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).