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 Roper Gulf (R) were Australian Aboriginal, Australian and English.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Roper Gulf (R) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Roper Gulf (R) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NT and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Roper Gulf (R), with comparison markers for Regional NT.
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
4,835
% of total
37.3%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
4,835
37.3%
+1.0pp
Australian
2021 count
460
% of total
3.6%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
460
3.6%
-0.8pp
English
2021 count
387
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
387
3.0%
-0.5pp
Irish
2021 count
155
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
155
1.2%
0.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
117
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
117
0.9%
-0.1pp
German
2021 count
71
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
71
0.5%
-0.1pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
45
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
45
0.3%
0.0pp
Italian
2021 count
32
% of total
0.2%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
32
0.2%
-0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
22
% of total
0.2%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
22
0.2%
+0.1pp
Maori
2021 count
19
% of total
0.1%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
19
0.1%
0.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian Aboriginal
+127
+1.0pp
Australian
-113
-0.8pp
English
-70
-0.5pp
Irish
+1
0.0pp
Scottish
-8
-0.1pp
German
-9
-0.1pp
Torres Strait Islander
+6
0.0pp
Italian
-3
-0.1pp
Dutch
+12
+0.1pp
Maori
+7
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Roper Gulf (R). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional NT.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional NT% | Count | % | Regional NT% | Count | pp | |
| Australian Aboriginal | 4,835 | 37.3% | 24.6% | 4,708 | 36.3% | 19.8% | +127 | +1.0pp |
| Australian | 460 | 3.6% | 8.4% | 573 | 4.4% | 11.0% | -113 | -0.8pp |
| English | 387 | 3.0% | 8.1% | 457 | 3.5% | 8.4% | -70 | -0.5pp |
| Irish | 155 | 1.2% | 2.7% | 154 | 1.2% | 2.8% | +1 | 0.0pp |
| Scottish | 117 | 0.9% | 2.3% | 125 | 1.0% | 2.4% | -8 | -0.1pp |
| German | 71 | 0.5% | 1.4% | 80 | 0.6% | 1.5% | -9 | -0.1pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 45 | 0.3% | 0.3% | 39 | 0.3% | 0.1% | +6 | 0.0pp |
| Italian | 32 | 0.2% | 0.6% | 35 | 0.3% | 0.6% | -3 | -0.1pp |
| Dutch | 22 | 0.2% | 0.4% | 10 | 0.1% | 0.4% | +12 | +0.1pp |
| Maori | 19 | 0.1% | 0.4% | 12 | 0.1% | 0.4% | +7 | 0.0pp |
| Total | 12,953 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 12,975 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -22 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).