Cultural diversity
Religion
Religion records a person's stated religious affiliation, including no religion and not stated responses. It is a measure of cultural identity and belief rather than practice or participation.
About this topic
Religion records a person's stated religious affiliation, including no religion and not stated responses. It is a measure of cultural identity and belief rather than practice or participation.
This topic helps show the religious diversity of an area and can support planning for community facilities, faith-based services, and inclusive engagement. It is best interpreted with ancestry, birthplace, and language, which together provide a broader picture of cultural composition.
Interpretation notes
- This records stated religious affiliation, not attendance or level of religious practice.
- No religion and not stated are part of the overall picture, so interpretation should consider both affiliation and non-response.
Key insight
In 2021, No religion was the most common religious affiliation among residents in Newtown (NSW) (part), accounting for 64.6% (9,475 people). This share was higher than Inner West (A) (49.7%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in No religion, which increased by 1,448 people and 11.4 percentage points.
Section overview
Religion - Ranked by size
Newtown (NSW) (part) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises religion for Newtown (NSW) (part) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Inner West (A) and change since 2016.
This area boundary has changed from 2016 to 2021. As a result, 2016 values are mapped onto 2021 suburb boundaries using ABS concordance.
Chart view
Religion - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Newtown (NSW) (part), with comparison markers for Inner West (A).
No Religion, so described
Western Catholic
Not stated
Anglican Church of Australia
Buddhism
Greek Orthodox
Islam
Judaism
Christianity, nfd
Hinduism
Religion - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
No Religion, so described
+1,448
+11.4pp
Western Catholic
-296
-1.6pp
Not stated
-1,005
-6.5pp
Anglican Church of Australia
-235
-1.4pp
Buddhism
-67
-0.3pp
Greek Orthodox
+5
+0.1pp
Islam
+19
+0.2pp
Judaism
+37
+0.3pp
Christianity, nfd
-56
-0.3pp
Hinduism
-29
-0.2pp
Data table
Religion for Newtown (NSW) (part). Religion - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Inner West (A).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Inner West (A)% | Count | % | Inner West (A)% | Count | pp | |
| No Religion, so described | 9,475 | 64.6% | 49.7% | 8,027 | 53.2% | 40.4% | +1,448 | +11.4pp |
| Western Catholic | 1,519 | 10.4% | 19.9% | 1,815 | 12.0% | 21.9% | -296 | -1.6pp |
| Not stated | 840 | 5.7% | 5.4% | 1,845 | 12.2% | 10.1% | -1,005 | -6.5pp |
| Anglican Church of Australia | 788 | 5.4% | 5.8% | 1,023 | 6.8% | 7.1% | -235 | -1.4pp |
| Buddhism | 407 | 2.8% | 3.3% | 474 | 3.1% | 3.6% | -67 | -0.3pp |
| Greek Orthodox | 274 | 1.9% | 3.5% | 269 | 1.8% | 3.6% | +5 | +0.1pp |
| Islam | 144 | 1.0% | 1.4% | 125 | 0.8% | 1.4% | +19 | +0.2pp |
| Judaism | 142 | 1.0% | 0.5% | 105 | 0.7% | 0.4% | +37 | +0.3pp |
| Christianity, nfd | 140 | 1.0% | 1.4% | 196 | 1.3% | 1.3% | -56 | -0.3pp |
| Hinduism | 105 | 0.7% | 2.1% | 134 | 0.9% | 2.4% | -29 | -0.2pp |
| Total | 14,673 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 15,078 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -405 | 0.0pp |
Excludes religions with fewer than 10 adherents.