In short
In 2021, about 13% of Australians attended religious services weekly or more, and roughly 21% attended at least monthly, while 49% said they never attend, according to NCLS Research. Christian church attendance fell from 11% of the population in 1991 to 7% in 2016. The most frequent age group is not the oldest but the youngest adults: 32% of those aged 18 to 34 attend at least monthly.
- About 13% of Australians attended religious services weekly or more in 2021 (NCLS Research).
- Roughly 21% of Australians attend at least monthly, while 49% never attend (2021, NCLS Research).
- Christian church attendance fell from 11% of the population in 1991 to 7% in 2016 (NCLS Research).
- Young adults aged 18 to 34 are the most frequent attenders, with 32% attending at least monthly (2021, NCLS Research).
Australia is often described as a secular country, and the numbers on church attendance help explain why. In 2021, about 13% of Australians attended a religious service weekly or more, while nearly half said they never attend, according to NCLS Research, which runs the National Church Life Survey. Over the longer run Christian attendance has thinned out, falling from 11% of the population in 1991 to 7% in 2016. Yet the age pattern holds a surprise: the most frequent attenders are the youngest adults, not the oldest. The figures below draw on NCLS Research and the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the most authoritative sources on how often Australians go to church.
Key findings at a glance
| Metric | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attend weekly or more | 13% | 2021 | NCLS Research |
| Attend at least monthly | 21% | 2021 | NCLS Research |
| Never attend | 49% | 2021 | NCLS Research |
| Adults 18 to 34 attending at least monthly | 32% | 2021 | NCLS Research |
| Christian attendance (share of population) | 7% | 2016 | NCLS Research |
| Christian attendance (share of population) | 11% | 1991 | NCLS Research |
How many Australians attend church weekly?
The clearest single measure of church attendance is how many people attend weekly. NCLS Research asks Australians how often they go to a religious service, and the weekly figure has settled into the low teens, well below the share who identify with a religion.
In 2021, about 13% of Australians attended religious services weekly or more, according to NCLS Research.
In 2021, about 21% of Australians attended religious services at least monthly, according to NCLS Research.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attend weekly or more | 13% | 2021 | NCLS Research |
| Attend at least monthly | 21% | 2021 | NCLS Research |
| Never attend | 49% | 2021 | NCLS Research |
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The long decline in attendance
Church attendance in Australia has been falling for decades. NCLS Research tracks Christian attendance as a share of the total population, and that share has thinned out steadily as the country has become more secular and more religiously diverse.
In 1991, Christian church attendance stood at about 11% of the Australian population, according to NCLS Research.
By 2016, Christian church attendance had fallen to about 7% of the Australian population, according to NCLS Research.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christian attendance (share of population) | 11% | 1991 | NCLS Research |
| Christian attendance (share of population) | 7% | 2016 | NCLS Research |
The surprising youth signal
It is easy to assume that the oldest Australians attend church most often, but the NCLS data show the opposite. The most frequent attenders are young adults, a pattern that runs against the wider story of decline and points to a committed core among the young.
In 2021, about 32% of young adults aged 18 to 34 attended religious services at least monthly, the most frequent of any age group, according to NCLS Research.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adults 18 to 34 attending at least monthly | 32% | 2021 | NCLS Research |
| All Australians attending at least monthly | 21% | 2021 | NCLS Research |
How we compiled these statistics
Every number on this page is traceable to a primary source and dated to the year the data were collected. The attendance figures, including weekly and monthly attendance, the share who never attend, the age breakdown, and the long-run decline, come from NCLS Research, which runs the National Church Life Survey and measures how often Australians attend religious services. Population and demographic context comes from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Where data years differ, we use the most recent published year and label it.
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