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 Pormpuraaw (S) were Australian Aboriginal, English and Australian.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Pormpuraaw (S) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Pormpuraaw (S) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Qld and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Pormpuraaw (S), with comparison markers for Regional Qld.
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
465
% of total
76.1%
Change from 2016
-1.5pp
465
76.1%
-1.5pp
English
2021 count
28
% of total
4.6%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
28
4.6%
+0.2pp
Australian
2021 count
22
% of total
3.6%
Change from 2016
-7.5pp
22
3.6%
-7.5pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
20
% of total
3.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
20
3.3%
0.0pp
Irish
2021 count
12
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
12
2.0%
-0.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
10
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
10
1.6%
-0.9pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian Aboriginal
-116
-1.5pp
English
-5
+0.2pp
Australian
-61
-7.5pp
Torres Strait Islander
-5
0.0pp
Irish
-4
-0.1pp
Scottish
-9
-0.9pp
Data table
Ancestry for Pormpuraaw (S). 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 | |
| Australian Aboriginal | 465 | 76.1% | 5.1% | 581 | 77.6% | 1.2% | -116 | -1.5pp |
| English | 28 | 4.6% | 39.6% | 33 | 4.4% | 39.2% | -5 | +0.2pp |
| Australian | 22 | 3.6% | 35.3% | 83 | 11.1% | 37.7% | -61 | -7.5pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 20 | 3.3% | 1.3% | 25 | 3.3% | 0.5% | -5 | 0.0pp |
| Irish | 12 | 2.0% | 10.9% | 16 | 2.1% | 11.7% | -4 | -0.1pp |
| Scottish | 10 | 1.6% | 10.4% | 19 | 2.5% | 10.4% | -9 | -0.9pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).