Catalina Espinosa
Research expert covering society, economy, and politics for Europe and the EU
Religion in Australia - statistics & facts
Australia is a secular country with a diverse migrant population and over 120 faiths, yet Australia has traditionally been a majority Christian-country. However, this dominant Christian identity appears to be shifting. In the most recent 2021 Australian Census, just under half of all Australians identified with a Christian faith, which was around eight percent less than the share of Christians just five years earlier. There is a growing proportion of people who do not identify with a religion, as well as a growth in the other major world religions.
Although belonging to a religious group has seemingly become less common in Australia, there is still a large proportion of the county’s population to whom religious beliefs are an important part of their identity and day-to-day life.
The decline of religion in Australia
While there is still a large proportion of people in Australia who identify as belonging to an organized religion, there is a growing upward trend of people who no longer belong to a religious faith. In 2021, almost ten million Australians said they that do not belong to any religion, an increase of almost two million people from the previous national census. The younger age groups of people in Australia are more likely to have no religious affiliation or hold other spiritual or secular beliefs. This move away from religion is also highlighted by the rise in civil celebrant marriages instead of religious ceremonies, with the vast majority of marriages performed by a civil celebrant.The growth of non-Christian beliefs in Australia
While the Christian faiths in Australia are in slow decline, there has been a steady growth of other religions in the country. The number of Muslims across all age groups in Australia has risen significantly since the previous national census, alongside the increase in the number of followers of most other large world religions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism. While the attitude towards selected religious groups in Australia is mostly neutral, there are more negative attitudes in the country towards Christians and Muslims than any other religion. Regardless, there is still a high satisfaction with religious faith or spiritual life among people in Australia.Although belonging to a religious group has seemingly become less common in Australia, there is still a large proportion of the county’s population to whom religious beliefs are an important part of their identity and day-to-day life.
