Christianity. Australia's major religion is Christianity with the major denominations, in order of size, being Catholic, Anglican, Uniting Church, Eastern Orthodox, Presbyterian and Reformed, Baptist and Pentecostal. 30% of the Australian population reported that they were either Anglican or Catholic in the 2021 Census ...
Christianity is the largest religion in Australia, with a total of 43.9% of the nation-wide population identifying with a Christian denomination in the 2021 census. The first presence of Christianity in Australia coincided with the foundation of the first British colony at New South Wales in 1788.
Christianity (43.9%) No religion (38.9%) Islam (3.2%)
Australia is a secular country with a diverse migrant population and over 120 faiths, yet Australia has traditionally been a majority Christian country.
Since the beginning of mass non-Anglophone immigration in 1947, the influx of Catholics from a huge range of ethnicities has made the Catholic Church the largest, as well as most varied, church in Australia.
There are various and interrelated sociological reasons for the decline in mainstream Christianity in Australia, including improvements in education and prosperity, along with internal institutional issues, such as the child abuse scandal, the role of women and issues of sexual ethics.
Hinduism is Australia's fastest growing religion. The diversity of modern Australia connects us to every part of the world, including South Asia.
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.
Almost 40 per cent (38.9 per cent) of Australia's population reported having no religion in the 2021 Census, an increase from 30 per cent (30.1 per cent) in 2016 and 22 per cent (22.3 per cent) in 2011.
Of the world's major religions, Christianity is the largest, with more than two billion followers. Christianity is based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and is approximately 2,000 years old.
Christianity was introduced to Australia by the first British settlers in the late 18th century. The Church of England (also known as the Anglican Church) began operating immediately and held a religious monopoly over the country. Eventually, other Christian denominations emerged, particularly the Catholic Church.
Modern growth. Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world. In 1990, 1.1 billion people were Muslims, while in 2010, 1.6 billion people were Muslims.
Areas. According to the 2016 census, the Muslim population numbered 604,235 individuals, of whom 42% live in Greater Sydney, 31% in Greater Melbourne, and 8% in Greater Perth.
Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism are always included in the list, being known as the "Big Five".
The Russian Orthodox Church has been the dominant religious institution for almost a millennium and continues to be the most popular religion in Russia.
For example, some may find religion's traditional hierarchies and rules to be too antiquated, or maybe they weren't raised in a religious household to begin with. For others, it could've been a church scandal or traumatic event that sparked a crisis of faith.
More Australians than ever have reported they don't identify with any religion, data from the 2021 census shows. Almost 40 per cent of the Australian population reported having "no religion", the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) says.
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.
Between 2015 and 2060, Muslim population is projected to increase by 70%. This compares with the 32% growth of world population during the same period. The young median age and high fertility rate of Muslims relative to other religious groups are significant factors behind Islam's population growth.
Overall, 53.8% of the population nominated a religion, and 38.7% said they had no religion, compared with 56.1% and 37.3% respectively for Greater Capital Cities. The largest single religion in Australia was Western (Roman) Catholic, with 19.6% of the population or 4,994,187 people as adherents.
In mortuary ceremonies conducted by communities in Galiwinku on Elcho Island today, there is reference to Dreaming figure Walitha'walitha, an adaptation of the Arabic phrase Allah ta'ala (God, the exalted). The first Muslims to settle permanently in Australia were the cameleers, mainly from Afghanistan.
Christianity has been declining in France steadily since the 1980s. In 2021, a French poll showed that over half of French citizens do not believe in God or consider Christianity to be relevant.
In 2011, Australian census data reported almost five and-a-half million Catholics, 25.3 per cent of the total population. By 2021, that number had gone down to just 20 per cent.
Attendance at religious services
However, in 2021, around one in five Australians (21%) reported attending religious services frequently i.e., at least monthly. Among frequent attenders, 13% attended weekly or more often.