The census headlines say Christianity keeps shrinking in Australia. Fewer people tick the “Christian” box every five years, and that trend has gone on for decades. But fresh data shows a more complex picture.
According to new research from McCrindle, hundreds of thousands of Australians are quietly turning to Christianity—even as many others walk away. Over the last 20 years, each census shows a steady flow of people moving from “no religion” to Christian identity. In the 2021 census alone, about 784,000 people made that shift. That’s not a small number.
Many of these new Christians aren’t young adults. They’re mostly over 55. In fact, the share of older Australians among new Christian converts has grown faster than the ageing of the general population. Significant life events—like retirement, bereavement or separation—often trigger this change. Churches that pay attention to this group could find unexpected growth.
Young Australians are more complex. Between 2016 and 2021, about 85,000 young people aged 15–24 turned to Christianity. But at the same time, many more young Christians left: around 36% of those who had identified as Christian moved to “no religion.” For younger people, the most common reason for leaving isn’t disbelief—it’s feeling religion no longer fits or isn’t relevant.
Why do people come back to faith? The study says most are drawn by a personal sense of meaning, a spiritual connection, or answers they couldn’t find elsewhere. For many, it’s not about formal church attendance at first. It’s about hope and purpose. Christianity’s sense of community and care for others also matters, especially in a time when loneliness is rising.
While migration shapes Australia’s religious mix, it isn’t driving most of the growth in Christianity. New arrivals to Australia are more likely to have no religion or belong to other faiths, and recent migrants move towards Christianity at similar rates as locals.
The story isn’t all about gains. The number of Australians moving from Christianity to no religion keeps rising, largely because of disappointment with church institutions, perceived hypocrisy, or feeling that religion doesn’t speak to modern life.
But here’s what the report underlines: many Australians remain open to faith. Almost half are open to spiritual conversations, and about one in five are open to changing their views about religion. Even those who step away sometimes return. In 2021, over 390,000 Australians identified again as Christians after having left the faith.
So, yes, fewer Australians overall tick the “Christian” box. But beneath that, there’s an undercurrent: people finding faith, often quietly and later in life, drawn not by pressure but by a search for purpose and meaning. And that story isn’t always seen in the headlines.
