Atheism, agnosticism, scepticism, freethought, secular humanism or general irreligion are increasing in Australia. Post-war Australia has become a highly secularised country. Religion does not play a major role in the lives of much of the population.
Religion in Australia is diverse. In the 2021 national census just over half of Australians declared a religious identity: 43.9% of the population identified with Christianity and 38.9% declared "no religion".
Australia is a secular country, with a high degree of religious freedom and religious diversity. Although the state and religious groups are maintained as separate entities, religious institutions continue to play a large role in Australian society.
The 2021 Census shows that nearly 10 million Australians indicated they had no religion; the data also shows a reduction of over a million Christians since the 2016 Census. These statistics highlight an increasing rate of decline in Christianity and a trend that has continued since the 1960s.
The institutional separation of state and religion means Australia is also usually described as a secular country. This is largely based on section 116 of the Australian Constitution which, among other things, prohibits the federal government from establishing a state church or religion.
Australia is a party to seven core international human rights treaties. The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief is contained in article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
Not only does most of Australia identify with Christianity, but more than half (55%) of the population believes in God, as defined as the Creator of the universe, the Supreme Being.
While Langwarrin has the most people with no religion, hipster hotspot Byron Bay in northern NSW had a higher proportion of nonbelievers. More than 6511 said they did not follow a faith, compared with 2711 who said they are Christian.
Studies in the 21st century suggest that, in terms of percentage and worldwide spread, Islam is the fastest-growing major religion in the world.
For more than a decade the number of people identifying as Catholic has been in decline, and from 2011 to 2016, the number of people identifying as atheist rose by a staggering 48 per cent. 'We are seeing a decline, but this is true of mainline Protestant denominations as well.
As Professor Riaz Hassan and his team at the Hawke's International Centre for Muslim and non-Muslim Understanding expertly identify, Muslims currently constitute 2.2% of the Australian population, and it is estimated there will be almost one million more Muslims in Australia by 2050.
Yet despite these significant changes, the percentage of Australians who say they regularly attend a church or other place of worship has changed very little, from 18.8% in 2003 to 17.4% in 2020.
Australia is known for many things, including swathes of tropical beaches, marine reserves, Aboriginal culture, cute koalas, rolling wine country, and lush rainforests.
According to the 2016 census, Queensland (56.03%) and New South Wales (55.18%) had Christian majorities, while the lowest proportion of Christians were found in the Northern Territory (47.69%) and the Australian Capital Territory (45.38%).
Hinduism is a third largest religion in Australia consisting of more than 684,002 followers, making up 2.7% of the population as of the 2021 census. Hinduism is the fastest growing religion in Australia mostly through immigration.
Sociologist Phil Zuckerman's global studies on atheism have indicated that global atheism may be in decline due to irreligious countries having the lowest birth rates in the world and religious countries having higher birth rates in general.
The main reasons for Islam's growth ultimately involve simple demographics. To begin with, Muslims have more children than members of the seven other major religious groups analyzed in the study.
Over the next four decades, Christians will remain the largest religious group, but Islam will grow faster than any other major religion. If current trends continue, by 2050 … The number of Muslims will nearly equal the number of Christians around the world.
Perth has been named the friendliest city in Australia. True story!
Tasmania had the highest rate of citizens reporting no religion, at 50% while the rate was lowest in New South Wales (33%).
The survey, to be released today, showed that 42 per cent of Australians believe Jesus had divine powers and 54 per cent believe he rose from the dead. But even among those who do not identify as born again, 45 per cent believe in the resurrection.
Islam has grown to 813,392 people, which is 3.2 per cent of the Australian population.