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 Chinchilla were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Chinchilla - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Chinchilla in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Western Downs (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Chinchilla, with comparison markers for Western Downs (R).
Australian
2021 count
2,943
% of total
41.6%
Change from 2016
-1.9pp
2,943
41.6%
-1.9pp
English
2021 count
2,574
% of total
36.4%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
2,574
36.4%
0.0pp
Irish
2021 count
684
% of total
9.7%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
684
9.7%
-0.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
627
% of total
8.9%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
627
8.9%
-0.3pp
German
2021 count
549
% of total
7.8%
Change from 2016
-2.2pp
549
7.8%
-2.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
505
% of total
7.1%
Change from 2016
+6.7pp
505
7.1%
+6.7pp
Italian
2021 count
118
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
118
1.7%
+0.8pp
Dutch
2021 count
92
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
92
1.3%
+0.3pp
Filipino
2021 count
90
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
90
1.3%
-0.1pp
New Zealander
2021 count
51
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
51
0.7%
-0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+69
-1.9pp
English
+169
0.0pp
Irish
+16
-0.4pp
Scottish
+16
-0.3pp
German
-114
-2.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
+476
+6.7pp
Italian
+60
+0.8pp
Dutch
+24
+0.3pp
Filipino
-1
-0.1pp
New Zealander
0
-0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Chinchilla. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Western Downs (R).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Western Downs (R)% | Count | % | Western Downs (R)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 2,943 | 41.6% | 42.9% | 2,874 | 43.5% | 45.5% | +69 | -1.9pp |
| English | 2,574 | 36.4% | 37.8% | 2,405 | 36.4% | 35.3% | +169 | 0.0pp |
| Irish | 684 | 9.7% | 10.4% | 668 | 10.1% | 10.9% | +16 | -0.4pp |
| Scottish | 627 | 8.9% | 9.5% | 611 | 9.2% | 9.6% | +16 | -0.3pp |
| German | 549 | 7.8% | 8.8% | 663 | 10.0% | 9.3% | -114 | -2.2pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 505 | 7.1% | 7.0% | 29 | 0.4% | 0.5% | +476 | +6.7pp |
| Italian | 118 | 1.7% | 1.1% | 58 | 0.9% | 0.9% | +60 | +0.8pp |
| Dutch | 92 | 1.3% | 1.0% | 68 | 1.0% | 1.1% | +24 | +0.3pp |
| Filipino | 90 | 1.3% | 1.7% | 91 | 1.4% | 1.4% | -1 | -0.1pp |
| New Zealander | 51 | 0.7% | 0.7% | 51 | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0 | -0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).