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 Torres (S) were Torres Strait Islander, Australian Aboriginal and Australian.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Torres (S) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Torres (S) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Qld and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Torres (S), with comparison markers for Regional Qld.
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
2,194
% of total
32.2%
Change from 2016
+12.7pp
2,194
32.2%
+12.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
767
% of total
11.2%
Change from 2016
+5.1pp
767
11.2%
+5.1pp
Australian
2021 count
542
% of total
7.9%
Change from 2016
-7.0pp
542
7.9%
-7.0pp
English
2021 count
394
% of total
5.8%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
394
5.8%
+0.4pp
Irish
2021 count
137
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
137
2.0%
-0.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
136
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
136
2.0%
+0.1pp
Papua New Guinean
2021 count
112
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
112
1.6%
+0.1pp
German
2021 count
60
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
60
0.9%
0.0pp
Chinese
2021 count
59
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
59
0.9%
-0.1pp
Japanese
2021 count
45
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
45
0.7%
-0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Torres Strait Islander
+792
+12.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
+329
+5.1pp
Australian
-531
-7.0pp
English
+7
+0.4pp
Irish
-28
-0.3pp
Scottish
+3
+0.1pp
Papua New Guinean
+1
+0.1pp
German
-3
0.0pp
Chinese
-16
-0.1pp
Japanese
-13
-0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Torres (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 | |
| Torres Strait Islander | 2,194 | 32.2% | 0.6% | 1,402 | 19.5% | 0.3% | +792 | +12.7pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 767 | 11.2% | 2.6% | 438 | 6.1% | 0.6% | +329 | +5.1pp |
| Australian | 542 | 7.9% | 17.7% | 1,073 | 14.9% | 18.8% | -531 | -7.0pp |
| English | 394 | 5.8% | 19.8% | 387 | 5.4% | 19.6% | +7 | +0.4pp |
| Irish | 137 | 2.0% | 5.5% | 165 | 2.3% | 5.9% | -28 | -0.3pp |
| Scottish | 136 | 2.0% | 5.2% | 133 | 1.9% | 5.2% | +3 | +0.1pp |
| Papua New Guinean | 112 | 1.6% | 0.1% | 111 | 1.5% | 0.1% | +1 | +0.1pp |
| German | 60 | 0.9% | 3.2% | 63 | 0.9% | 3.3% | -3 | 0.0pp |
| Chinese | 59 | 0.9% | 0.8% | 75 | 1.0% | 0.8% | -16 | -0.1pp |
| Japanese | 45 | 0.7% | 0.2% | 58 | 0.8% | 0.2% | -13 | -0.1pp |
| Total | 6,821 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 7,183 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -362 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).