Religious Groups in Australia 1911-2011

Relgions in Australia

The 2011 Australian Census has shown that over a one-hundred year period from 1911 – 2011. Australia, is, par excellence, a migration, multicultural and multifaith nation-state.

Results of the 2013 Census:

The results of the August 2011 census became available in the second half of 2012. Tables One and Two show the census results over a one-hundred year period from 1911 – 2011. Australia, is, par excellence, a migration, multicultural and multifaith nation state. The key statistical facts are that one-quarter of Australia’s population were born overseas and an estimated 46 per cent are either born overseas or have at least one parent born overseas. Chinese has now replaced Italian as the nation’s second language after English. There are now almost 200,000 speakers of the Chinese languages residing permanently in Australia augmented by the many Chinese students temporarily studying at Australian universities.

Table One: Major Religious and Secularist Groups in Australia: 1911 – 2011 (in raw numbers)

Religious Group		1911	1947	1961	1981	2001	2011
Anglicans	N	1,710,433	2,957,032	3,669,940	3,576,641	3,881,162	3,679,907
Baptists	N	97,074	113,527	149,628	190,259	309,205	352,499
Buddhists	N	3,269	411	n.a.	35,073	357,813	528,977
Catholics	N	996,804	1,586,738	2,619,984	3,786,505	5,001,624	5,439,268
Eastern Orthodox	N	2,896	17,012	154,924	421,281	529,444	563,074
Hindus	N	414	244	n.a.	n.a.	95,473	275,534
Jehovah’s Witness	N	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	51,815	81,069	85,638
Jewish faith	N	17,287	32,019	59,329	62,126	83,993	97,335
Lutherans	N	72,395	66,891	160,182	199,760	250,365	251,930
Muslims	N	3,908	2,704	n.a.	76,792	281,578	476,291
Pentecostals	N	n.a.	n.a.	16,572	72,148	194,592	237,986
Presbyterians & Ref	N	558,336	743,540	976,721	637,818*	650,148	599,520
Sikhs	N	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	17,401	72,297
Uniting Church	N	—	—	—	712,609	1,248,674	1,065,794
No Religion	N	177,209	189,801	263,051	1,576,718	2,905,993	4,796,786
Not Stated	N	119,616	827,533	110,481	1,595,195	1,835,598	1,839,598

* From 1977 many Presbyterians identified themselves with the Uniting Church of Australia which was formed in 1977 from the Methodist Church and large portions of the Presbyterian and Congregationalist Churches; n.a. = not available from the census figures.Based on Hughes, Fraser and Reid (2013) and the Australian census figures

Table Two: Major Religious and Secularist Groups in Australia: 1911 – 2011 (in percentages of total Australian population)

Religious Group		1911	1947	1961	1981	2001	2011
Anglicans	%	38.4	39.0	34.9	24.5	20.7	17.1
Baptists	%	2.2	1.5	1.4	1.3	1.6	1.6
Buddhists	%	0.07	0.01	n.a.	0.24	1.9	2.5
Catholics	%	22.5	20.9	24.9	26.0	26.6	25.3
Eastern Orthodox	%	0.07	0.22	1.5	2.9	2.81	2.82
Hindus	%	0.01	0.00	n.a.	n.a.	0.51	1.28
Jehovah’s Witness	%	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	0.4	0.53	0.40
Jewish faith	%	0.39	0.42	0.60	0.43	0.45	0.45
Lutherans	%	1.6	0.88	1.5	1.4	1.3	1.2
Muslims	%	0.09	0.04	n.a.	0.53	1.5	2.2
Pentecostals	%	n.a.	n.a.	0.16	0.49	1.0	1.1
Presbyterians & Ref	%	12.5	9.8	9.3	4.4	3.4	2.8
Sikhs	%	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	0.09	0.34
Uniting Church	%	26.5	22.2	20.2	4.9	6.7	5.0
No Religion	%	0.4	0.4	0.4	10.8	15.5	22.3
No Stated Religion	%	2.7	10.9	10.5	10.8	9.8	8.6

* From 1977 many Presbyterians identified themselves with the Uniting Church of Australia which was formed in 1977 from the Methodist Church and large portions of the Presbyterian and Congregationalist Churches; n.a = not available from the census figures. Based on Hughes, Fraser and Reid (2013) and the Australian census figures

Religion in Australia