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 Sunrise Beach were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Sunrise Beach - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Sunrise Beach in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Noosa (S) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Sunrise Beach, with comparison markers for Noosa (S).
English
2021 count
1,666
% of total
22.6%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
1,666
22.6%
+0.4pp
Australian
2021 count
1,100
% of total
14.9%
Change from 2016
-6.3pp
1,100
14.9%
-6.3pp
Irish
2021 count
504
% of total
6.8%
Change from 2016
+1.3pp
504
6.8%
+1.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
497
% of total
6.7%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
497
6.7%
+1.4pp
German
2021 count
232
% of total
3.2%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
232
3.2%
-0.9pp
Italian
2021 count
127
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
-
127
1.7%
-
Dutch
2021 count
84
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
-
84
1.1%
-
French
2021 count
60
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
-
60
0.8%
-
New Zealander
2021 count
59
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
-
59
0.8%
-
Spanish
2021 count
49
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-
49
0.7%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+1,553
+0.4pp
Australian
+992
-6.3pp
Irish
+476
+1.3pp
Scottish
+470
+1.4pp
German
+211
-0.9pp
Polish
+34
-0.3pp
American
+20
-0.3pp
Data table
Ancestry for Sunrise Beach. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Noosa (S).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Noosa (S)% | Count | % | Noosa (S)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 1,666 | 22.6% | 23.2% | 113 | 22.2% | 23.1% | +1,553 | +0.4pp |
| Australian | 1,100 | 14.9% | 16.5% | 108 | 21.2% | 17.0% | +992 | -6.3pp |
| Irish | 504 | 6.8% | 6.8% | 28 | 5.5% | 6.9% | +476 | +1.3pp |
| Scottish | 497 | 6.7% | 6.7% | 27 | 5.3% | 6.4% | +470 | +1.4pp |
| German | 232 | 3.2% | 3.1% | 21 | 4.1% | 3.2% | +211 | -0.9pp |
| Italian | 127 | 1.7% | 1.4% | - | - | 1.2% | - | - |
| Dutch | 84 | 1.1% | 1.0% | - | - | 1.0% | - | - |
| French | 60 | 0.8% | 0.6% | - | - | 0.5% | - | - |
| New Zealander | 59 | 0.8% | 0.6% | - | - | 0.6% | - | - |
| Spanish | 49 | 0.7% | 0.3% | - | - | 0.2% | - | - |
| Total | 7,363 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 510 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +6,853 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).