In an optional question in the 2021 Australian National Census, 43.9% of respondents declared some variety of Christianity, with the Christian denominational distribution as follows: Catholicism 20.0%, Anglican 9.8%, Uniting Church 2.7%, Orthodox 2.1%, Presbyterian and Reformed 1.6%, Baptist 1.4%, Pentecostal 1.0%, ...
Hinduism is the fastest growing religion in Australia mostly through immigration. Hinduism is also one of the most youthful religions in Australia, with 34% and 66% of Hindus being under the age of 14 and 34 respectively. Hindu Temple in Melbourne.
The largest Christian denominations are Catholic, at 20 per cent of the population, and Anglican 9.8 per cent. The census showed other religions are growing but make up a small proportion of the population.
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.
The United States has the largest Christian population in the world, followed by Brazil, Mexico, Russia, and the Philippines.
Steady declines:
The proportion of Australians identifying Christianity as their religion has been declining over the last century – from 96% in 1911 to 61.1% in the 2011 Census. Over the last decade, Christianity in Australia has declined from 68% to 61.1%.
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.
Forty-four per cent of Australians identify as Christian, down from 61 per cent a decade ago. The share of people ticking the “no religion” box grew from 22 per cent in 2011 to 39 per cent in 2021. The number of people in Australia who identify as Hindu surged by 55 per cent over the past five years.
Statistics commonly measure the absolute number of adherents, the percentage of the absolute growth per-year, and the growth of converts in the world. Studies in the 21st century suggest that, in terms of percentage and worldwide spread, Islam is the fastest-growing major religion in the world.
Islam has grown to 813,392 people, which is 3.2 per cent of the Australian population.
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.
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%).
While Christianity is currently the predominant religion in Latin America, Europe, Canada and the United States, the religion is declining in many of these areas, including Western Europe, some countries of North America (including the United States), and some countries in Oceania.
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.
Local culture
The culture of Australia is a Western culture derived primarily from Britain but also influenced by the unique geography of the Australian continent, the diverse input of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and other Oceania people.
Three of the world's major religions -- the monotheist traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam -- were all born in the Middle East and are all inextricably linked to one another. Christianity was born from within the Jewish tradition, and Islam developed from both Christianity and Judaism.
The U.S.'s Christian majority has been shrinking for decades. A Pew Research Center study shows that as of 2020, about 64% of Americans identify as Christian. Fifty years ago, that number was 90%.
Christianity is an important world religion that stems from the life, teachings, and death of Jesus. Roman Catholicism is the largest of the three major branches of Christianity. Thus, all Roman Catholics are Christian, but not all Christians are Roman Catholic.
Armenia was the first nation to adopt Christianity as an official religion in 301 AD.
Australia has been a secular country since federation. The Constitution of 1901 prohibits the Commonwealth government from interfering with the free exercise of any religion.