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 Northern Peninsula Area (R) were Torres Strait Islander, Australian Aboriginal and English.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Northern Peninsula Area (R) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Northern Peninsula Area (R) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Qld and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Northern Peninsula Area (R), with comparison markers for Regional Qld.
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
2,106
% of total
37.9%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
2,106
37.9%
+0.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
1,452
% of total
26.2%
Change from 2016
+1.1pp
1,452
26.2%
+1.1pp
English
2021 count
146
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
146
2.6%
-0.1pp
Australian
2021 count
143
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
-2.7pp
143
2.6%
-2.7pp
Irish
2021 count
40
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
40
0.7%
-0.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
27
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
27
0.5%
-0.3pp
Maori
2021 count
22
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
22
0.4%
+0.2pp
Papua New Guinean
2021 count
18
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
18
0.3%
-0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
18
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
18
0.3%
+0.1pp
German
2021 count
14
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
14
0.3%
0.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Torres Strait Islander
+36
+0.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
+51
+1.1pp
English
-2
-0.1pp
Australian
-153
-2.7pp
Irish
-16
-0.3pp
Scottish
-17
-0.3pp
Maori
+11
+0.2pp
Papua New Guinean
-11
-0.2pp
Italian
+9
+0.1pp
German
-3
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Northern Peninsula Area (R). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional Qld.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | pp | |
| Torres Strait Islander | 2,106 | 37.9% | 0.6% | 2,070 | 37.2% | 0.3% | +36 | +0.7pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 1,452 | 26.2% | 2.6% | 1,401 | 25.1% | 0.6% | +51 | +1.1pp |
| English | 146 | 2.6% | 19.8% | 148 | 2.7% | 19.6% | -2 | -0.1pp |
| Australian | 143 | 2.6% | 17.7% | 296 | 5.3% | 18.8% | -153 | -2.7pp |
| Irish | 40 | 0.7% | 5.5% | 56 | 1.0% | 5.9% | -16 | -0.3pp |
| Scottish | 27 | 0.5% | 5.2% | 44 | 0.8% | 5.2% | -17 | -0.3pp |
| Maori | 22 | 0.4% | 0.5% | 11 | 0.2% | 0.5% | +11 | +0.2pp |
| Papua New Guinean | 18 | 0.3% | 0.1% | 29 | 0.5% | 0.1% | -11 | -0.2pp |
| Italian | 18 | 0.3% | 1.6% | 9 | 0.2% | 1.5% | +9 | +0.1pp |
| German | 14 | 0.3% | 3.2% | 17 | 0.3% | 3.3% | -3 | 0.0pp |
| Total | 5,552 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 5,572 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -20 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).