The majority religion in Australia is still Christianity, but there are fewer and fewer adherents each year, according to new data.
43.9 percent of Australians identify as Christians, with the Catholic Church being the largest denomination, followed by Anglican, according to the 2021 census, which was released on Tuesday.
However, the percentage of respondents who identified as Christians in the national survey has decreased, from 61.1% in 2011 to 52.1% in 2016.
Other faiths are expanding. Hinduism was mentioned by 2.7% of census respondents, and Islam increased to 3.2%.
The 2021 census revealed that 38.9% of individuals do not identify as religious, indicating that more and more people are claiming they are not religious.
Between 2011 and 2016, that percentage rose from 22.3% to 30.1%.
Despite the fact that the census’s religious questions are one of the few that are optional, 93% of respondents still responded.
More than a million immigrants have arrived in Australia since the 2016 census. More than 80% of them arrived prior to the COVID-19 pandemic’s commencement in 2020.
While more than 850,000 migrants entered Australia in 2017, 2018, and 2019, 165,000 entered during the pandemic-affected period that followed.
COVID-
Additionally, 19 limitations caused the number of foreign visitors in Australia at the time of the census to drop by more than 80%.
In 2016, there were 315 000 foreign visitors; in 2021, there would only be 61 860.
The data from the census, according to Australian statistician David Gruen, were collected at the height of pandemic restrictions.
The census “provides a unique view of the population during the COVID-19 epidemic and was undertaken at an unparalleled moment in Australia’s history,” he said.