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 Tasman (M) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Tasman (M) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Tasman (M) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Tas. and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Tasman (M), with comparison markers for Regional Tas..
English
2021 count
1,115
% of total
21.6%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
1,115
21.6%
-0.3pp
Australian
2021 count
1,017
% of total
19.7%
Change from 2016
-2.3pp
1,017
19.7%
-2.3pp
Irish
2021 count
271
% of total
5.2%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
271
5.2%
+0.6pp
Scottish
2021 count
267
% of total
5.2%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
267
5.2%
+0.6pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
145
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
+2.5pp
145
2.8%
+2.5pp
German
2021 count
99
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
99
1.9%
+0.5pp
Dutch
2021 count
46
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
46
0.9%
+0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
31
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
31
0.6%
+0.3pp
Welsh
2021 count
30
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
30
0.6%
+0.4pp
Polish
2021 count
21
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
21
0.4%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+86
-0.3pp
Australian
-20
-2.3pp
Irish
+55
+0.6pp
Scottish
+49
+0.6pp
Australian Aboriginal
+131
+2.5pp
German
+31
+0.5pp
Dutch
+13
+0.2pp
Italian
+15
+0.3pp
Welsh
+19
+0.4pp
Polish
+8
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Tasman (M). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional Tas..
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional Tas.% | Count | % | Regional Tas.% | Count | pp | |
| English | 1,115 | 21.6% | 22.3% | 1,029 | 21.9% | 22.3% | +86 | -0.3pp |
| Australian | 1,017 | 19.7% | 21.3% | 1,037 | 22.0% | 22.5% | -20 | -2.3pp |
| Irish | 271 | 5.2% | 4.9% | 216 | 4.6% | 5.1% | +55 | +0.6pp |
| Scottish | 267 | 5.2% | 4.7% | 218 | 4.6% | 4.6% | +49 | +0.6pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 145 | 2.8% | 2.7% | 14 | 0.3% | 0.2% | +131 | +2.5pp |
| German | 99 | 1.9% | 1.7% | 68 | 1.4% | 1.7% | +31 | +0.5pp |
| Dutch | 46 | 0.9% | 1.1% | 33 | 0.7% | 1.0% | +13 | +0.2pp |
| Italian | 31 | 0.6% | 0.6% | 16 | 0.3% | 0.6% | +15 | +0.3pp |
| Welsh | 30 | 0.6% | 0.3% | 11 | 0.2% | 0.3% | +19 | +0.4pp |
| Polish | 21 | 0.4% | 0.3% | 13 | 0.3% | 0.2% | +8 | +0.1pp |
| Total | 5,173 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 4,709 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +464 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).