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 Tewantin were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Tewantin - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Tewantin in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Noosa (S) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Tewantin, with comparison markers for Noosa (S).
English
2021 count
5,129
% of total
23.0%
Change from 2016
+4.9pp
5,129
23.0%
+4.9pp
Australian
2021 count
3,765
% of total
16.9%
Change from 2016
-9.8pp
3,765
16.9%
-9.8pp
Irish
2021 count
1,393
% of total
6.3%
Change from 2016
+4.4pp
1,393
6.3%
+4.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,326
% of total
6.0%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
1,326
6.0%
+0.6pp
German
2021 count
694
% of total
3.1%
Change from 2016
-5.1pp
694
3.1%
-5.1pp
Italian
2021 count
260
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
-
260
1.2%
-
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
220
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
220
1.0%
+0.3pp
Dutch
2021 count
197
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
197
0.9%
+0.4pp
New Zealander
2021 count
145
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-
145
0.7%
-
French
2021 count
130
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
-
130
0.6%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+5,025
+4.9pp
Australian
+3,612
-9.8pp
Irish
+1,382
+4.4pp
Scottish
+1,295
+0.6pp
German
+647
-5.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
+216
+0.3pp
Dutch
+194
+0.4pp
Welsh
+92
-0.5pp
Maltese
+21
-0.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for Tewantin. 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 | 5,129 | 23.0% | 23.2% | 104 | 18.1% | 23.1% | +5,025 | +4.9pp |
| Australian | 3,765 | 16.9% | 16.5% | 153 | 26.7% | 17.0% | +3,612 | -9.8pp |
| Irish | 1,393 | 6.3% | 6.8% | 11 | 1.9% | 6.9% | +1,382 | +4.4pp |
| Scottish | 1,326 | 6.0% | 6.7% | 31 | 5.4% | 6.4% | +1,295 | +0.6pp |
| German | 694 | 3.1% | 3.1% | 47 | 8.2% | 3.2% | +647 | -5.1pp |
| Italian | 260 | 1.2% | 1.4% | - | - | 1.2% | - | - |
| Australian Aboriginal | 220 | 1.0% | 0.8% | 4 | 0.7% | 0.1% | +216 | +0.3pp |
| Dutch | 197 | 0.9% | 1.0% | 3 | 0.5% | 1.0% | +194 | +0.4pp |
| New Zealander | 145 | 0.7% | 0.6% | - | - | 0.6% | - | - |
| French | 130 | 0.6% | 0.6% | - | - | 0.5% | - | - |
| Total | 22,280 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 574 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +21,706 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).