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 Weipa (T) were Australian, English and Australian Aboriginal.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Weipa (T) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Weipa (T) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Qld and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Weipa (T), with comparison markers for Regional Qld.
Australian
2021 count
1,465
% of total
17.8%
Change from 2016
-6.3pp
1,465
17.8%
-6.3pp
English
2021 count
1,244
% of total
15.2%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
1,244
15.2%
-0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
593
% of total
7.2%
Change from 2016
+6.3pp
593
7.2%
+6.3pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
503
% of total
6.1%
Change from 2016
+4.8pp
503
6.1%
+4.8pp
Irish
2021 count
362
% of total
4.4%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
362
4.4%
-0.8pp
Scottish
2021 count
327
% of total
4.0%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
327
4.0%
-0.1pp
German
2021 count
163
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
163
2.0%
-0.8pp
Italian
2021 count
119
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
119
1.4%
+0.1pp
Filipino
2021 count
79
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
79
1.0%
+0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
61
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
61
0.7%
+0.3pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-417
-6.3pp
English
+40
-0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
+526
+6.3pp
Torres Strait Islander
+400
+4.8pp
Irish
-42
-0.8pp
Scottish
+10
-0.1pp
German
-54
-0.8pp
Italian
+20
+0.1pp
Filipino
+7
+0.1pp
Dutch
+27
+0.3pp
Data table
Ancestry for Weipa (T). 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 | 1,465 | 17.8% | 17.7% | 1,882 | 24.1% | 18.8% | -417 | -6.3pp |
| English | 1,244 | 15.2% | 19.8% | 1,204 | 15.4% | 19.6% | +40 | -0.2pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 593 | 7.2% | 2.6% | 67 | 0.9% | 0.6% | +526 | +6.3pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 503 | 6.1% | 0.6% | 103 | 1.3% | 0.3% | +400 | +4.8pp |
| Irish | 362 | 4.4% | 5.5% | 404 | 5.2% | 5.9% | -42 | -0.8pp |
| Scottish | 327 | 4.0% | 5.2% | 317 | 4.1% | 5.2% | +10 | -0.1pp |
| German | 163 | 2.0% | 3.2% | 217 | 2.8% | 3.3% | -54 | -0.8pp |
| Italian | 119 | 1.4% | 1.6% | 99 | 1.3% | 1.5% | +20 | +0.1pp |
| Filipino | 79 | 1.0% | 0.6% | 72 | 0.9% | 0.5% | +7 | +0.1pp |
| Dutch | 61 | 0.7% | 0.8% | 34 | 0.4% | 0.7% | +27 | +0.3pp |
| Total | 8,211 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 7,800 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +411 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).