澳大利亚人口普查数据显示，声称无宗教信仰的人口占比正在持续上升[1]。自1911年以来，澳大利亚人口普查就询问宗教信仰问题，无宗教选项的演变过程反映了该国社会日益世俗化的趋势[1]。
在过去的一个多世纪里，无宗教人口的比例出现了显著增长[1]。1911年人口普查中，无宗教者仅占0.4%，约为10000人[1]。到了1971年人口普查进行改革后，这一比例跃升至6.7%[1]。随后的数十年间增速加快，1991年当无宗教成为复选框选项时，占比已达到12.9%[1]；2016年无宗教首次成为列表中的首项，占比接近30%[1]；到2021年，无宗教人口的占比进一步上升至38.9%[1]。
2021年的数据标志着一个历史转折点[1]。无宗教首次成为澳大利亚单一最大的宗教身份认同，超过了任何单一基督教教派[1]。不过，基督教各宗派的总体信徒比例仍为43.9%，仍然略高于无宗教人口[1]。
The proportion of Australians identifying as having no religion has grown dramatically over the past century, rising from just 0.4 percent in 1911 to 38.9 percent by 2021 [1]. This represents a fundamental shift in the nation's religious landscape, with those claiming no religious affiliation now constituting the largest single identity group in the population.
The trajectory of this change accelerated considerably following structural reforms to how the census captured religious identity [1]. In 1971, following a redesign of the census questionnaire, the proportion of those with no religion jumped to 6.7 percent [1]. By 1991, when no religion became a checkbox option, the figure had climbed to 12.9 percent [1]. The trend continued, with the proportion reaching approximately 30 percent by 2016, the year the option was moved to the top of the religious identity list [1].
In the most recent census, the 38.9 percent figure for those with no religion marks a historic milestone [1]. For the first time, this secular identification surpasses any single Christian denomination, though Christianity as a whole still commands 43.9 percent of the population [1].
