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 Tara (Qld) were Australian, English and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Tara (Qld) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Tara (Qld) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Western Downs (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Tara (Qld), with comparison markers for Western Downs (R).
Australian
2021 count
841
% of total
21.4%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
841
21.4%
+0.3pp
English
2021 count
776
% of total
19.7%
Change from 2016
-3.2pp
776
19.7%
-3.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
202
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
202
5.1%
+0.8pp
Irish
2021 count
199
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
199
5.1%
+0.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
180
% of total
4.6%
Change from 2016
+4.2pp
180
4.6%
+4.2pp
German
2021 count
126
% of total
3.2%
Change from 2016
-2.9pp
126
3.2%
-2.9pp
Italian
2021 count
26
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
26
0.7%
+0.1pp
New Zealander
2021 count
21
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
21
0.5%
-0.8pp
Dutch
2021 count
21
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
21
0.5%
-0.1pp
Filipino
2021 count
20
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
-
20
0.5%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+623
+0.3pp
English
+540
-3.2pp
Scottish
+158
+0.8pp
Irish
+152
+0.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
+176
+4.2pp
German
+63
-2.9pp
Italian
+20
+0.1pp
New Zealander
+8
-0.8pp
Dutch
+15
-0.1pp
Maori
+8
-0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Tara (Qld). 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 | 841 | 21.4% | 21.4% | 218 | 21.1% | 22.8% | +623 | +0.3pp |
| English | 776 | 19.7% | 18.9% | 236 | 22.9% | 17.7% | +540 | -3.2pp |
| Scottish | 202 | 5.1% | 4.7% | 44 | 4.3% | 4.8% | +158 | +0.8pp |
| Irish | 199 | 5.1% | 5.2% | 47 | 4.6% | 5.4% | +152 | +0.5pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 180 | 4.6% | 3.5% | 4 | 0.4% | 0.2% | +176 | +4.2pp |
| German | 126 | 3.2% | 4.4% | 63 | 6.1% | 4.7% | +63 | -2.9pp |
| Italian | 26 | 0.7% | 0.5% | 6 | 0.6% | 0.4% | +20 | +0.1pp |
| New Zealander | 21 | 0.5% | 0.3% | 13 | 1.3% | 0.3% | +8 | -0.8pp |
| Dutch | 21 | 0.5% | 0.5% | 6 | 0.6% | 0.6% | +15 | -0.1pp |
| Filipino | 20 | 0.5% | 0.9% | - | - | 0.7% | - | - |
| Total | 3,931 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 1,032 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +2,899 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).