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 Tablelands (R) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Tablelands (R) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Tablelands (R) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Qld and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Tablelands (R), with comparison markers for Regional Qld.
English
2021 count
10,040
% of total
19.1%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
10,040
19.1%
-0.2pp
Australian
2021 count
9,739
% of total
18.6%
Change from 2016
-2.0pp
9,739
18.6%
-2.0pp
Irish
2021 count
3,272
% of total
6.2%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
3,272
6.2%
-0.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
2,819
% of total
5.4%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
2,819
5.4%
-0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
1,774
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
+2.9pp
1,774
3.4%
+2.9pp
German
2021 count
1,590
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
1,590
3.0%
0.0pp
Italian
2021 count
1,526
% of total
2.9%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
1,526
2.9%
-0.1pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
397
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
397
0.8%
+0.7pp
Dutch
2021 count
383
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
383
0.7%
-0.1pp
Chinese
2021 count
218
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
218
0.4%
0.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+461
-0.2pp
Australian
-484
-2.0pp
Irish
+79
-0.2pp
Scottish
+72
-0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
+1,544
+2.9pp
German
+99
0.0pp
Italian
+25
-0.1pp
Torres Strait Islander
+344
+0.7pp
Dutch
+8
-0.1pp
Chinese
+31
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Tablelands (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 | |
| English | 10,040 | 19.1% | 19.8% | 9,579 | 19.3% | 19.6% | +461 | -0.2pp |
| Australian | 9,739 | 18.6% | 17.7% | 10,223 | 20.6% | 18.8% | -484 | -2.0pp |
| Irish | 3,272 | 6.2% | 5.5% | 3,193 | 6.4% | 5.9% | +79 | -0.2pp |
| Scottish | 2,819 | 5.4% | 5.2% | 2,747 | 5.5% | 5.2% | +72 | -0.1pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 1,774 | 3.4% | 2.6% | 230 | 0.5% | 0.6% | +1,544 | +2.9pp |
| German | 1,590 | 3.0% | 3.2% | 1,491 | 3.0% | 3.3% | +99 | 0.0pp |
| Italian | 1,526 | 2.9% | 1.6% | 1,501 | 3.0% | 1.5% | +25 | -0.1pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 397 | 0.8% | 0.6% | 53 | 0.1% | 0.3% | +344 | +0.7pp |
| Dutch | 383 | 0.7% | 0.8% | 375 | 0.8% | 0.7% | +8 | -0.1pp |
| Chinese | 218 | 0.4% | 0.8% | 187 | 0.4% | 0.8% | +31 | 0.0pp |
| Total | 52,464 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 49,647 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +2,817 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).