Religious Groups in Australia 1911-2011
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
Major Religious Groupings in Australia
© Religions for Peace Australia, 2014