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 Kogan were English, Australian and Scottish.

Section overview

Ancestry - Ranked by size

Kogan - Total persons (Usual residence)

This table summarises ancestry for Kogan in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Western Downs (R) and change since 2016.

Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Kogan, with comparison markers for Western Downs (R).

Kogan
Western Downs (R)

English

2021 count

86

% of total

21.2%

Change from 2016

-0.1pp

Australian

2021 count

73

% of total

18.0%

Change from 2016

-1.0pp

Scottish

2021 count

17

% of total

4.2%

Change from 2016

-0.7pp

German

2021 count

16

% of total

4.0%

Change from 2016

+1.2pp

Irish

2021 count

15

% of total

3.7%

Change from 2016

-1.0pp

Australian Aboriginal

2021 count

14

% of total

3.5%

Change from 2016

-

Data table

Ancestry for Kogan. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Western Downs (R).

Ancestry for Kogan. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Western Downs (R).
Ancestry for Kogan. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Western Downs (R).
Category20212016Change
Count%Western Downs (R)%Count%Western Downs (R)%Countpp
English8621.2%18.9%26121.3%17.7%-175-0.1pp
Australian7318.0%21.4%23219.0%22.8%-159-1.0pp
Scottish174.2%4.7%604.9%4.8%-43-0.7pp
German164.0%4.4%342.8%4.7%-18+1.2pp
Irish153.7%5.2%584.7%5.4%-43-1.0pp
Australian Aboriginal143.5%3.5%--0.2%--
Total405100.0%100.0%1,224100.0%100.0%-8190.0pp

Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).