The religion with the highest proportional growth since the last Census was Yezidi. As a Premium user you get access to the detailed source references and background information about this statistic. Access to this and all other statistics on 80,000 topics from, Show sources information However its relative position has declined, with the Catholic Church, benefiting from post-war Australia multicultural immigration, among other factors, to become the largest single religious group. Australia is an ethnically diverse country which lends to its religious composition. People are free to choose, express and practice their religious beliefs in different ways. [92], The 1996 Australian Census lists Bah membership at just under 9,000. As of 2016, Buddhists (1.68), Hindus (1.81) and Irreligion (1.84) had the lowest fertility rate. This may be different from their practice of or participation in a religious activity. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date There are broad groups, which are each made up of narrow groups. Around the year 2000, many churches and church organisations officially apologised for past failures to adequately respect indigenous cultures and address the injustices of the dispossession of indigenous people. [12] These people are generally regarded as being from the east Indonesian archipelago. In practice, though, federal governments have respected Section 116 and generally allowed the free practice of religion. This contact of South East Asian ethnic groups of Islamic faith can be identified from the graves they dug for their comrades who died on the journey, being that they face Mecca (in Arabia), in accordance with Islamic regulations concerning burial, as well as evidence from Aboriginal cave paintings and religious ceremonies which depict and incorporate the adoption of Makassan canoe designs and words. This is a significant festival for Torres Strait Islanders, who are predominantly Christian. [3] By effectively limiting the immigration of practitioners of different faiths, this policy ensured that Christianity remained the religion of the overwhelming majority of Australians for the foreseeable future and, indeed, to the present day. [30] At the 2016 census 9.6% of people declined to answer, or they did not give a response adequate for interpretation. Nonetheless, despite their significant role in Australia prior to the establishment of rail and road networks, the formulation of the White Australia policy at the time of Federation made immigration difficult for the 'Afghans' and their memory slowly faded during the 20th century, until a revival of interest began in the 1980s.[67]. Yezidis (or Yazidis) are an ancient religious minority, who are mostly from Northern Iraq. After the arrival of the first Christian settlers on the First Fleet of British ships in 1788, Christianity quickly became the major religion in Australia. A question on religion has been included in all Australian censuses since 1911. [7] Nevertheless, Australia elected its first Catholic prime minister, James Scullin, in 1929 and Sir Isaac Isaacs, a Jew, was appointed governor-general in 1930.[25][26]. This decrease occurred across most ages, with the largest decrease for young adults (18-25 years). [50] Smaller denominations, including the Lutheran Church also have a number of schools in Australia. The governor of the time gave the responsibility of public health and education to a cleric of the Church of England. Bodhinyana Monastery is a Theravadin Buddhist monastery in the Thai Forest Tradition located in Serpentine, Western Australia. These cultures overlapped to a greater or lesser extent, and evolved over time. As in many Western countries, the level of active participation in church worship is much lower than this; weekly attendance at church services is likely to be under 1 million, about 4% of the population. Chart. An estimated 110,000 Jews currently live in Australia,[86] the majority being Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern European descent, with many being refugees and Holocaust survivors who arrived during and after World War II. Since 2016 however, the median age of this group increased from 31 years to 33 years. The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) is able to inquire into allegations of discrimination on religious grounds. Anglican organisations work in health, missionary work, social welfare and communications; and the Uniting Church does extensive community work, in aged care, hospitals, nursing, family support services, youth services and with the homeless, and especially throughout inland Australia. The same period has seen a consistent rise in Other religions and No religion, particularly in the last 20 years. 1971: The first Census with instructions on the form If no religion write none. Australia ensures the religious freedom of its residents by constitutional decree. ", Hamilton, Celia. Directly accessible data for 170 industries from 50 countries and over 1 million facts: Get quick analyses with our professional research service. An additional 9.6 percent of the population either did not state a religious affiliation or stated affiliations such as "new age," "not defined," or "theism," while 30.1 percent . From 1971 to 2021, the proportion of people reporting to have no religion in Australia steadily increased. The Anglican Church (named the Church of England until 1981) was the main religious denomination in Australia throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries. Australia's Aboriginal peoples developed the spirituality of the Dreaming and some of the earliest evidence on earth for religious practices among humans has been found in the archaeological record of their ancestors. The Global Atheist Convention, a prominent atheist event, has been held in Melbourne. Out of the following list, which are the 3 most important aspects to you in life? Between 1000 and 5000, are the following religionsTaoism, Druse, Satanism, Zoroastrian, Rationalism, Creativity, Theosophy, Jainism. The increase of Islamic affiliation can also be largely attributed to recent migration. Morissey et al. In general, the likelihood of people becoming unaffiliated with a religion decreased with age. The term Other religions refers collectively to the religions Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and the broad group Other Religions (which includes narrow groups such as Australian Aboriginal Traditional Religions, Chinese Religions and Sikhism). 1: Includes relatively small numbers of so-called 'Secular Beliefs' such as Atheism, Agnosticism, Humanism &, Rationalism, and Other Spiritual Beliefs such as New Age, Own Spiritual Beliefs, Theism(! From 2016 to 2021, the highest growth in the number of people reporting to have no religion was in Queensland and Tasmania. [citation needed]. Department of Home Affairs, Statement on ABC Four Corners Reporting. The narrow groups, in turn, are made up of religious groups which is the third and most detailed level of the classification. The Christian footprint in Australian society and culture remains broad, particularly in areas of social welfare and . [79] Australia and Indonesia co-operated closely following the Bali-bombings, not only in law-enforcement but in improving education and cross-cultural understanding, leading to a marked improvement in relations. Following the 11 September attacks, associations drawn between the political ideology of Osama Bin Laden and the religion of Islam have stirred debate in some quarters in Australia regarding Islam's relationship with the wider community with some advocating greater emphasis on assimilation, and others supporting renewed commitment to diversity. [74], The Australian government's mandatory detention processing system for asylum seekers became increasingly controversial after the 11 September attacks. The Dreaming is at once the ancient time of creation and the present day reality of Dreaming. (1993, 2001), Living Religion, Pearson Education Australia Pty Ltd, (Malaysia). "Share of Population in Australia in 2016, by Religion. Contents 1 Adherents in 2020 1.1 Notes 2 By proportion 2.1 Christians 2.2 Muslims 2.3 Irreligious and atheist 2.4 Hindus 2.5 Buddhists 2.6 Taoists/Confucianists/Chinese traditional religionists 2.7 Ethnic and indigenous 2.8 Sikhism 2.9 Spiritism 2.10 Judaism 2.11 Jainism This is a list of religious populations by number of adherents and countries. Christianity nfd was first included as a group in the 1996 Census when the Australian Standard Classification of Religious Groups (ASCRG) was developed. Please create an employee account to be able to mark statistics as favorites. Among Australia's best-known Hindus is the singer Kamahl. [78] Inter-faith dialogues were also established by Christian and Muslim groups such as The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils and the National Council of Churches in Australia. The churches with the largest number of members are the Catholic Church, the Anglican Church of Australia and the Uniting Church in Australia. Women reporting no religion were more likely to have lesser children than women reporting a religion. Atheist interests in Australia are represented nationally by the Atheist Foundation of Australia. Adelaide is known as the "City of Churches", but churches extend far into the Australian Outback, as at the historic Lutheran Mission Chapel at Hermannsburg, Northern Territory. Understanding religious affiliation A question on religion has been included in all Australian censuses since 1911. Until 1945, the vast majority of Catholics in Australia were of Irish descent, causing the British majority to question their loyalty to the British Empire. Share of population in Australia in 2016, by religion [Graph]. Anglican and Catholicism have been, and are, the largest Christian denominations in Australia. [99] This temple follows the Venerable Master Hsing Yun of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order. Since then, the number of responses in this category has grown from 181,900 (1.0% of Australians) in 1996. [83][84] Notable Australian Muslims include boxer Anthony Mundine; community worker and rugby league star Hazem El Masri; cricketer Usman Khawaja and academic Waleed Aly. The two major denominations, Anglican and Catholic, account for 36% of the Australian population. Most were migrants from countries such as Fiji, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore and South Africa. Freedom of Religion was enshrined in Section 116 of the Constitution of Australia of 1901 but the Church of England was not disestablished in the colony of New South Wales until the Church Act of 1836. Although there is no established church or religion, the vast majority of the population, 61%, identifies with one of the branches of Christianity. In 1986, the proportion of Anglican affiliation (23.9%) dropped below Catholic affiliation (26.1%). "[28] An example of an HREOC response to such views is the IsmaU project, which examines possible prejudice against Muslims in Australia since the 11 September 2001 attacks in the US and the Bali bombings.[29]. In 1998 the HREOC addressed the right to freedom of religion and belief in Australia against article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, stating that "despite the legal protections that apply in different jurisdictions, many Australians suffer discrimination on the basis of religious belief or non-belief, including members of both mainstream and non-mainstream religions, and those of no religious persuasion. Technically, this article does not affect the states' authority to legislate on religion. In 2021, the proportion was 38.9%, an increase from 30.1% in 2016, representing an increase of more than 2.8 million people. While people with no religion are more than 30% of the Australian population,[4] the Australian Bureau of Statistics does not provide information in the annual "1301.0 Year Book Australia" on religious affiliation as to how many people fall into each sub-category. 2016: The No religion response option was moved from the last to the first response option on the Census form. Religion in Australia as declared in the 2021 census [25] No religion (38.9%) Catholicism (20.0%) Protestantism (18.1%) Orthodoxy (2.1%) Other Christian (3.7%) Islam (3.2%) Hinduism (2.7%) Buddhism (2.4%) Other religions (1.7%) Not stated or unclear (7.2%) Main article: Religion in Australia [93] Dedicated in 1961, it was also the world's fourth Bah House of Worship to be completed. ", Australian Bureau of Statistics, Share of population in Australia in 2016, by religion Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1133490/australia-share-of-population-by-religion/ (last visited December 12, 2022), Share of population in Australia in 2016, by religion, Available to download in PNG, PDF, XLS format, Number of people in Australia by religion 2016, Number of Christians in Australia by age group 2016, Number of Muslims in Australia by age group 2016, Number of Buddhists in Australia by age group 2016, Number of Hindus in Australia by age group 2016, Number of non religious in Australia by age group 2016, Number of schools in Australia 2021, by affiliation type, Number of independent schools in Australia 2019, by affiliation, Independent school student FTE enrolments in Australia 2019, by affiliation, Leading Islamic schools in Victoria, Australia 2010-2018, by student growth, Distribution of child care services in Australia by management type 2020, Percentage of charities Australia FY 2019, by activity, Expenditure of Islamic Relief Australia FY 2019, by expenditure type, Leading reasons for charitable donations Australia 2018, Number of volunteers Australia 2014 by organization type, Number of marriages in Australia 1901-2020, Number of religious and civil celebrant marriages in Australia 1998-2018, Number of religious marriages in Australia 2018, by minister affiliation, Average number of children born to women in Australia 2016, by religion, Religious or spiritual well-being as source of happiness for Australians 2019, Public perception of the biggest problems facing the country in Australia 2019, Opinion on leading human rights that need protection Australia 2018, Share of negative responses toward selected religions in Australia 2019, by religion, Most important values in life in Australia 2020, Share of people who think belief in God is necessary to be moral by country 2019, Number of people in Singapore by religion 2016, Religious affiliation of young adults in France 2018, Number of Confucians South Korea 1985-2015, Reasons to leave a religion in Denmark 2017, Reasons to leave a religion in Norway 2017, Reasons to leave a religion in Sweden 2017, Uruguay: religion affiliation share 2020, by type, El Salvador: religion affiliation share 2020, by type, Venezuela: religion affiliation share 2020, by type, Find your information in our database containing over 20,000 reports. [94] In 2001, the second edition of A Practical Reference to Religious Diversity for Operational Police and Emergency Services added the Bah Faith to its coverage of religions in Australia and noted that the community had grown to over 11,000. This was a decrease of nearly one in five Anglicans (19.5%), from 13.3% to 9.8% of the population. Anglican - 13.3%. 2000s: Humanitarian entrants from Africa and Middle East; skilled migrants from North-east and Southern Asia(1). Their population increased dramatically from the 1960s and 1970s and more than doubled between the 1996 and 2006 census to around 148,000 people. [4] This figure dropped to 7.2% in 2021.The religious views of those people are not known, so it is not proper to group them together with people who state that they have no religion instead, all the census figures about religion should be treated with corresponding confidence levels. Research expert covering Australia and New Zealand. ", O'Brien, Anne. Indigenous Australians of (Arnhem Land) (ib Northern Australia) retain stories, songs and paintings of trade and cultural interaction with boat-people from the north. The census question about religion is optional, and asks "What is the person's religion? A question on religion has been asked in every census taken in Australia, with the voluntary nature of this question having been specifically stated since 1933. Hinduism has grown by 55.3 per cent to 684,002 people, or 2.7 per cent of the population. This was an increase from nearly 600 thousand (592,000) to just over 1 million people. The Church of England was removed from its power in 1836, yet other policies were later enacted that ensured Christianity would remain the dominant religion. It will also show which parts of Australia are growing in population and which parts are . Christian affiliation of people in Australia varied across generations. Answering this question has always been optional but is answered by nearly all respondents. This group has increased significantly over the last 100 years when it was once only reported by 1 in 250 people. In 2021 almost half (48.4%) of people aged 25-34 years reported to have No religion. Almost 10 million Australians reported having no religion. The largest Jewish community in Australia is in Melbourne, with about 60,000, followed by Sydney with about 45,000 members. In every Census since 1911, a proportion of people have responded that they did not have a religious affiliation. In 2006, Anglican affiliation (18.7%) was surpassed by those reporting to have No religion (19.4%). You can only download this statistic as a Premium user. For important events, more than 20,000 people come. These areas are designated regional refugee settlement locations as part of the Humanitarian Settlement Program(3). There was a Lutheran population of German descent in South Australia. [6], Christianity came to Australia with the first British settlers on the First Fleet. Below is a look at the religious composition of Australia. There were a great many different groups, each with their own individual culture, belief structure, and language. An increase in this group may indicate a growing trend of people affiliating more broadly with Christianity rather than specific Christian denominations. Office Location. Nearly a third of Australians (30 per cent) reported in the Census that they had no religion in 2016. [73], Today, over 604,000 people in Australia identify as Muslim, with diverse communities concentrated mainly in Sydney and Melbourne. Please do not hesitate to contact me. Successive Australian governments dismantled the White Australia Policy in the Post-WW2 period. This was an increase from 2,550 to 9,720 people. "Catholic schools in Australia to receive funding increase," www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2018/11/08. [9], Indigenous Australians had their own religious traditions of the Dreaming when British colonisation started in 1788. Other ethnicities can also be found, though in smaller numbers: Indian (1.7%), Greek (1.6%), Dutch (1.2%), and Other (5.3%). Accessed December 12, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1133490/australia-share-of-population-by-religion/, Australian Bureau of Statistics. 898 were Australian-born children of migrants (aged under 15 with one or both parents born overseas). . Over time, we have changed how we present the No religion option on the religion question. From 2016 to 2021, the proportion of people who affiliated with Hinduism in Tasmania increased from 0.5% to 1.7% of the population. The Gold Rush of the 1850s brought more European settlers who brought with them new branches of the Christian religion. By: Published: November 30, 2021; In the west of Australia there is a bunch of area that has no religion at all. Aboriginal beliefs and spirituality, even among those Aboriginal peoples who identify themselves as members of a traditional organised religion, are intrinsically linked to the land generally and to certain sites of significance in particular. In 2010 Beit Knesset Shalom became Brisbane's first Conservative (Masorti) synagogue. In 2021, the number of people who answered the religion question was 93.1% of the population, an increase from 90.9% in 2016. The congregation appointed its first rabbi, Ehud Bandel in 2006. There are 13.2 million Christians in Australia (61.1% of the population. Religion. This saw a sevenfold increase from the previous census year in the percentage of Australians stating they had no religion. [4] This category includes agnosticism, atheism, humanism, rationalism, and people who are unaffiliated with any particular religion. There was a diversification of Christian churches (especially with the growth of Greek, Macedonian, Serbian and Russian Orthodox churches), together with an increase in ecumenism among Christians through organisations such as the National Council of Churches in Australia,[59] as well as an increase in non-religious adherence. In 2021, Yezidis were mainly located in regional locations in Queensland and NSW. Wardell also worked on the design of St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne among the finest examples of ecclesiastical architecture in Australia. Muslim > Muslim percentage of total population: Muslim percentage (%) of total population 2014 Pew Report. ", Hilliard, David. Christian churches played a significant role in the development of early education, health and welfare services in Australia. Religious orders founded many of Australia's hospitals, such as St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, which was opened as a free hospital in 1857 by the Sisters of Charity and is now Australia's largest not-for-profit health provider and has trained prominent Australian surgeons such as Victor Chang. The religious makeup of Australia has changed gradually over the past 50 years. [4] The 2016 Census found that Protestants outnumbered Catholics while the irreligious population was also substantial. The Australian gold rushes brought in workers from China and the Pacific islands, as well as specialised workers from British India, such as the mainly Muslim "Afghan Cameleers". [82] 1,140 people identified as Aboriginal Muslims in the 2011 census, almost double the number recorded in the 2001 census. In the 1933 Census the public was specifically informed there was no legal obligation to answer the question on religion. While NSW and Victoria had higher proportions of religious affiliation with Islam and Hinduism than other states and territories in 2021, the state with the highest growth rate in these religions since 2016 was Tasmania. Please do not hesitate to contact me. Religious affiliation is output in categories according to Australian Standard Classification of Religious Groups (ASCRG). Quang Minh Temple in Braybrook, Melbourne, Victoria gets about 2,000 people through every Sunday and gives a free vegetarian meal to about 600 people. Among Christians, 55.2% were Catholics, 4.9% were Orthodox Christians (mostly belonging to the Eastern Orthodox Church), 3.8% were Protestants, while the remaining 4.2% were other Christians, belonging to other denominations . Australian National Audit Office, Performance Audit Report 2019-2020, Delivery of the Humanitarian Settlement Program. The three main traditions of BuddhismTheravada, East Asian and Tibetanare now represented in Australia. The average age of people with an Anglican affiliation in 2021 was 56 years, compared with 47 years for Christians overall. Other religions affiliations in 2021 were: Muslim 3.2%; Hindu 2.7%; Buddhist 2.4%; Sikh 0.8%; Jewish (0.4%);[4] and other religions 1.7%. Until the 1930s, all synagogues in Australia were nominally Orthodox, with most acknowledging leadership of the Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom. A significant proportion of recent Asylum seekers arriving by boat have been Muslims fleeing the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere. The European traditions of Christmas trees, roast dinners, carols and gift giving are all continued in Australia, but they might be conducted between visits to the beach.[64]. In 2021, while the proportion of people reporting to have No religion increased for all age groups, the highest proportional increase was people aged 65 years and over. [80] After a series of controversies, Sheikh Taj El-Din Hilaly retired as Grand mufti of Australia in 2007 and was replaced by Fehmi Naji El-Imam AM. "Historical overview spirituality and work Sydney women, 19201960. The Sydney Jewish Museum opened in 1992 to commemorate The Holocaust "challenge visitors' perceptions of democracy, morality, social justice and human rights".[89]. In view of Section 116 of Australia's constitution ("The Commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance ) it is commonly believed that Australia is already a "secular state". When British settlers established the first permanent settlement, a penal colony, in 1787, they brought with them Christianity. Millennials had the highest proportion of No religion (46.5%) and Other religions (14.9%). The Sydney Bah Temple is situated in Ingleside, a northern suburb of Sydney. This is a misconception: in 1981, the High Court determined that there is in fact no constitutional separation of church and state in Australia. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia also has 8 schools across the country. This proportion remained steady throughout the first half of the 20th Century, driven by the continued British migration to Australia. This was a result of Australias Humanitarian Program that specifically focussed on resettling Yezidi women, children and families from Iraq and Syria(2). Religious freedom prevails. The proportion of the population affiliating with Islam in Tasmania increased from 0.5% to 0.9%. For more information see the Religious affiliation (RELP) variable. A steady increase since then has largely been maintained by migration from Southeast Asia, China and Sri Lanka. This was 0.2% of the population. Here are some Christian denominations with Australian articles: The first contacts that Islam had with Australia was when Muslim fishermen native to Makassar, which is today a part of Indonesia, visited North-Western Australia long before British settlement in 1788. No religion includes secular and other spiritual beliefs. From 2016 to 2021, the highest increase was in responses coded to the supplementary category, Christianity nfd (not further defined). The 2001 census contained no comparable updated data. For example, more than two-thirds (69.4%) of the Interwar generation were affiliated with Christianity and were the least likely to have No religion (18.6%). Statista. Of migrants who arrived in Australia between 2016 and 2021, there were 210,500 who were affiliated with Hinduism. statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account. The remaining subcategories account for only 1.2% of responses. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2006 Census Dictionary statement on religious affiliation states the purpose for gathering such information: Data on religious affiliation are used for such purposes as planning educational facilities, aged persons' care and other social services provided by religion-based organisations; the location of church buildings; the assigning of chaplains to hospitals, prisons, armed services and universities; the allocation of time on public radio and other media; and sociological research. Other smaller groups also arrived and established their churches. This makes them the second-largest "religious group". Among Australia's oldest are Ebenezer Chapel and the Anglican St Matthew's, Windsor, St Luke's, Liverpool, St Peter's, Campbelltown and St James Church, Sydney, built between 1819 and 1824 by Governor Macquarie's architect, Francis Greenway. 1991: The first Census with a check box list of religions, an option for free textand a check box for No religion at the bottom of list. Since the 1970s Islamic schools have been established as well as more than 100 mosques and prayer centres. Statista assumes no "[10] There were and still are ritual systems, with an emphasis on life transitions such as adulthood and death. [43], Prominent Aboriginal activist Noel Pearson, himself raised at a Lutheran mission in Cape York, has written that missions throughout Australia's colonial history "provided a haven from the hell of life on the Australian frontier while at the same time facilitating colonisation". Learn more about how Statista can support your business. At least eight Jewish convicts are believed to have been transported to Sydney aboard the First Fleet in 1788, when the first British settlement was established on the continent. Approximately 52.1% identified as Christian, constituting the largest religious category. Hussein Abdulwahid Ameen, 'Muslims in Our Near North', Section 116 of the Constitution of Australia, Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, National Council of Churches in Australia. Australia is becoming more religiously diverse. A paid subscription is required for full access. Trends show that this answer is increasing on the census by 3.9% every ten years. This makes them the second-largest "religious group" after Christians, who make up 43.9% of the population, down from 52.1% in 2016.Australia is often described as a secular country and this . In the case of mainland Aboriginal Australians, their spirituality is known as the Dreaming and it places a heavy emphasis on belonging to the land. Not all Christian denominations are declining. Since the early 2000s, the Abraham Conference convenes as an annual interfaith event between Christians, Muslims, and Jews. [16] British Nonconformist Methodist, Presbyterians, Congregationalists and Baptists set up their own churches in the 19th century, as did Lutherans from Germany. Hinduism in Australia 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. In 1971, the instruction 'If no religion, write none' was introduced to the Census. By 1901 apart from the indigenous population and the descendants of gold rush migrants, Australian society was predominantly Anglo-Celtic, with 40% of the population being Anglican, 23% Catholic, 34% other Christian and about 1% professing non-Christian religions. "'Cross-Firing over the Gulf': The Rift between Methodism and the Labour Movement in South Australia in the 1890s", This page was last edited on 9 December 2022, at 19:48. See 7[36]. You need a Statista Account for unlimited access. [58] In 1901, the Australian Constitution guaranteed Separation of Church and State. These increases reflect Australias migration trends. Antiochian Orthodox of Australia and New Z. Lutheran Church also have a number of schools, Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, Australian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Australia, Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, A Practical Reference to Religious Diversity for Operational Police and Emergency Services, Australian Association for Jewish Studies, Catholic Church sexual abuse cases in Australia, Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, "Australian Bureau of Statistics: 2021 Census of Population and Housing: General Community Profile", "Religious affiliation in Australia | Australian Bureau of Statistics", "Census of Population and Housing: Reflecting Australia - Stories from the Census, 2016: Religion in Australia", "Marrying Out Part One: Not in Front of the Altar", "Aboriginal painting "Coming of the Macassan traders", "Biography Richard Johnson Australian Dictionary of Biography", "Fast facts James Scullin Fast facts Australia's Prime Ministers", "The separation of church and state Secular Party of Australia", "Article 18 Freedom of religion and belief", "2021 Census shows changes in Australia's religious diversity | Australian Bureau of Statistics", "Feature Article: Characteristics of the Population", "2011 Community Profiles: Time Series Profile", 2016 Census of Population and General Community (Sheet G14), "Religious affiliation (RELP) | Australian Bureau of Statistics", "FactCheck Q&A: the facts on birth rates for Muslim couples and non-Muslim couples in Australia", "Indigenous Traditions Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders", "European Network for Indigenous Australian Rights: news", "Indigenous and non-Indigenous reconciliation for the wellbeing of the Australian nation Reconciliation Australia", "Contradictions cloud the apology to the Stolen Generations", "St Vincent's Hospital, history and tradition, sesquicentenary", "Heritage branch | NSW Environment & Heritage", "Benedictine Abbey, Jamberoo, New South Wales, Australia", "Thredbo Chapel Thredbo Ecumenical Church", "Christmas season celebrations in Australia", http://www.islamfortoday.com/australia03.htm#nearnorth, "reCollections Australia's Muslim cameleer heritage", "A Multicultural Timeline of Australia: The end of White Australia", "Australias jihad attack plotters jailed for up to 28 years", "Muslim leader blames women for sex attacks | News | the Australian", "Whites fleeing racially mixed schools in Australia: report", https://web.archive.org/web/20090710175431/http://www.immi.gov.au/living-in-australia/a-diverse-australia/mcrg_report.pdf, "Indonesia country brief Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade", Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's new-look ministry sworn into office at Government House, "Exhibition shows it's not all black and white | The Australian Jewish News", "A Practical Reference for Religious Diversity for Operational Police and Emergency Services: 2nd Ed", "General Community Profile (Australia) 2016", "God's OK, it's just the religion bit we don't like", "Global survey: youths see spiritual dimension to life", "Census Table 2006 20680-Religious Affiliation (full classification list) by Sex Australia", "Census shows non-Christian religions continue to grow at a faster rate", "PAGANDASH STAND UP AND BE COUNTED Results of the 2011 Census", Australian Standard Classification of Religious Groups (ASCRG), 1266.0, 1996, 1996 Census Dictionary Religion category, 2001 Census Dictionary Religion category, Year Book Australia, 2006. People identifying as Agnostic, Atheist, or Nonreligious are predominantly young, urban dwellers. This is an increase of 391,000 over 2017. Find out more information about the codes we use for responses that do not fit into main categories in Understanding supplementary codes in Census variables. In 1971, the instruction "if no religion, write none" was introduced. Buddhists began arriving in Australia in significant numbers during the goldrush of the 1850s with an influx of Chinese miners. Religion in Australia as declared in the 2021 census[1][2][3], Christianity is the largest religion in Australia, though its share of total population has declined significantly over the past several decades. [7] Of the convicts and settlers, most were members of the established Church of England and Ireland with lesser numbers of Nonconformist Protestants, Catholics and other faiths. Religion in Australia Religion in Australia as declared in the 2021 census [1] [2] No religion (38.9%) Catholicism (20.0%) Protestantism (18.1%) Other Christian (5.8%) Islam (3.2%) Hinduism (2.7%) Buddhism (2.4%) Sikhism (0.8%) Other religions (0.9%) Not stated or unclear (7.2%) Religion by country Africa Asia Europe North America Oceania Of the smaller religions, Pagan religions 29,328, the Bah Faith at 12,000, Humanism about 7000. The collection of stories which it contains shaped Aboriginal law and customs. Are you interested in testing our corporate solutions? Most of the responses in the broad category, Secular Beliefs and Other Spiritual Beliefs and No Religious Affiliation, were in the sub-category No religion, so described. Countryaah: Population statistics for 2020 and next 30 years in Australia, covering demographics, population graphs, and official data for growth rates, population density, and death rates. "Irish-Catholics of New South Wales and the Labor Party, 18901910,", Laffin, Josephine. Around 36% of Muslims are Australian born. The deaths of Australians in bombings by militant Islamic fundamentalists in New York in 2001, Bali in 20025 and London in 2005; as well as the sending of Australian troops to East Timor in 1999, Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003; the arrest of bomb plotters in Australia; and concerns about certain cultural practices such as the wearing of the Burkha have all contributed to a degree of tension in recent times[70][71] A series of comments by a senior Sydney cleric, Sheikh Taj El-Din Hilaly also stirred controversy, particularly his remarks regarding "female modesty" following an incident of gang rape in Sydney[72][73] Australians were among the targets of Islamic Fundamentalists in the Bali bombings in Indonesia and attack on Australian Embassy in Jakarta and the South East Asian militant group Jemaah Islamiyah has been of particular concern to Australians. [61] The Anglican St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, in the iconic hub of the city opposite Flinders Street station. The Census religion question is designed to capture a persons religious affiliation. Torres Strait Islander religion bore similarities to broader Melanesian spirituality. [92] According to Jennifer Taylor, a historian at Sydney University, it is among Sydney's four most significant religious buildings constructed in the twentieth century. They belong neither to Agnosticism, Humanism nor Atheism beliefs. [37], Prior to British colonisation in Australia, the animist beliefs of Indigenous Australian peoples had been practised for millennia. Interfaith efforts between various religious institutions occur. What is Australia's main religion? One of the most visible signs of the historical importance of Christianity to Australia is the prominence of churches in most Australian towns and cities. Hinduism is the fastest growing religion in Australia mostly through immigration. Those of Chinese ethnicity represent 3.6% of the population and the Aboriginal, and Native Australians are now only 3%. Australia has generally had a tradition of secular government. This increase indicates a shift away from religious and spiritual viewpoints, by either expressing their beliefs outside of traditional religious institutional settings or not holding a religious or spiritual viewpoint to express. The National Council of Churches in Australia has been the main Christian ecumenical body. In 2021, most of this group were people who answered Christian or Christianity to the religion question. The religious affiliation of Generation X closely aligned with the proportions of the Australian population overall. Hinduism is a minority religion in Australia consisting of more than 684,002 followers, making up 2.7% of the population as of the 2021 census. Smaller communities are dispersed among the other state capitals. Source: Religious affiliation (RELP), Country of birth of person (BPLP). Secular Beliefs and Other Spiritual Beliefs and No Religious Affiliation. Over the past 50 years, there has been a steady decline in the proportion of Australians who reported an affiliation with Christianity. The number almost doubled, from 2,498 to 4,947. Notable Australian Jews have included the Sir John Monash, the notable World War I general who opened the Maccabean Hall in Sydney in 1923 to commemorate Jews who fought and died in the First World War and who is currently featured on the Australian $100 note;[88] and Sir Isaac Isaacs who became the first Australian born governor general in 1930. "The religious crisis of the 1960s: the experience of the Australian churches. This is defined as the religion to which a person nominates an association. [50] Many notable Muslim places of worship are to be found in large Australian cities, including the Central Adelaide Mosque, which was constructed during the 1880s; and Sydney's Classical Ottoman style Auburn Gallipoli Mosque, which was largely funded by the Turkish community and the name of which recalls the shared heritage of the foundation of modern Turkey and the story of the ANZACs. There are also Sephardi congregations. ", giving respondents a choice of nine religions, "Other" and "No religion". Share of people who think belief in God is necessary to be moral by country 2019, Share of adults who say belief in God is necessary in order to be moral and have good values worldwide in 2019, by country, Facebook: quarterly number of MAU (monthly active users) worldwide 2008-2022, Quarterly smartphone market share worldwide by vendor 2009-2022, Number of apps available in leading app stores Q3 2022. Section 116 of the Constitution of Australia of 1901 states, "The Commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the Commonwealth.". Amendments have been made to reflect changes in Australias religious profile as well as in response to public consultation. This is followed by Buddhism (2.5%), Islam (2.2%), Hinduism (1.3%), and Judaism (.5%). This increased establishment of churches led to a missionary movement that focused on converting aboriginal people which they successfully carried out. Christianity was the most famous religious affiliation (52 percent of the population). [103] This view is prominent among Australia's youth, who were ranked as the least religious worldwide in a 2008 survey conducted by The Christian Science Monitor. At the 1911 Census 38.4% of the population reported an affiliation with the Church of England. This reflects the age profiles of these religions. [50] Christian charities such as the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, the Salvation Army, Anglicare, and Youth Off the Streets receive considerable national support. Sikhism has grown in Australia particularly over the past ten years. ), While the Church of England originally held a position of privilege in early colonial Australia, a legal framework guaranteeing religious equality evolved within a few decades. 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. ;[45] and former Senator Aden Ridgeway, the first Chairman of the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry. Of all migrants who came to Australia between 2016 and 2021, almost 200 thousand (191,000) reported an affiliation with Catholicism in the 2021 Census, over one-quarter of which were born in the Philippines. Currently, you are using a shared account. Some of these are now more widely practiced than the original religions of the area. [45] In recent times, Christians such as Fr Ted Kennedy of Redfern,[46] Jesuit human rights lawyer Fr Frank Brennan[47] and the Josephite Sisters have been prominent in working for Aboriginal rights and improvements to standards of living.[48]. It consists of people who do not identify with a religion and those with non-religious beliefs including Agnosticism, Atheism and Humanism. [101], Jainism is currently the fourth fastest growing religion in Australia, recording 4,050 adherents in 2016 and growing an average of 7.7% per year. Indigenous Australians have a complex oral tradition and spiritual values based upon reverence for the land and a belief in the Dreaming. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and other congregations associated with non-British cultures have also expanded. australia religion population. This classification presents a hierarchy of religious affiliations. Generally, older generations were more likely to be affiliated with Christianity and younger generations were more likely to have no religious affiliation. The number of people who affiliate with Sikhism has almost tripled since the 2011 Census. [107][108], In general, non-Christian religions and those with no religion have been growing in proportion to the overall population. This change is due, in part, to increasing immigrants establishing their lives in Australia and bringing with them the religion from their homeland. People could respond that they did not have a religion if they were a free thinker, or if no denomination or religion. Source: Religious affiliation (RELP), Age (AGEP). Almost 126,000 people who arrived in Australia between 2016 and 2021 affiliated with Islam. 'Not stated' responses jumped at this point. A notable period of sectarianism re-emerged during the First World War and the 1916 Easter Uprising in Ireland,[55] but sectarian division declined after World War II. In 2021, Catholicism decreased to 20% (from 22.6% in 2016). Australia does not have an official state religion. Clicking on the following button will update the content below. More data related to this article can be found in thedata downloads on theCultural diversity: Censustopic page. The "Other" ethnicity includes individuals from many countries, particularly European and Asian. Due to religious freedom, it is illegal to discriminate against any individual or group on the basis of their religious beliefs. liability for the information given being complete or correct. 661 were Australian-born children of migrants (aged under 15 with one or both parents born overseas). Following these two congregations, a number of other Liberal synagogues have been founded in other cities.[90]. World population by Region and by Religion. Other outback mosques were established at places like Coolgardie, Cloncurry, and Broken Hill and more permanent mosques in Adelaide, Perth and later Brisbane. Some Islamic leaders and social commentators claim that Islam has suffered from unfair stereotyping[75][76][77] Violence and intimidation was directed against Muslims and people of Middle Eastern appearance during southern Sydney's Cronulla riots in 2005. 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