According to figures recently released by the Australian government's Bureau of Statistics, 73.8 per cent of Australia's nearly 18 million people identify with some religious group, and 70 per cent identify with a Christian group.

The statistics are the result of the government's analysis of information from the nation's latest census in 1996. A census is taken every five years, and includes the question: "What is your religion?"

The figures from the latest census show a slight decline in religious identification from the figure of 76.6 per cent in 1991; 16.5 per cent now claim to have "no religion", but only 0.04 per cent describe themselves as "atheists". Groups other than Christian have increased, since 1991, from 2.6 per cent to 3.45 per cent, while 0.04 per cent indicated they followed an Australian Aboriginal traditional religion. While the number indicating a traditional religion has increased substantially since 1991, most Australian indigenous people identify with a Christian religious group.

The figures show that once again Australia's religious profile has changed towards greater complexity and diversity. Since 1947 there has been great change in the religious composition of Australian society due to immigration and to conversion. Then, Anglicans were the biggest group - with 39 per cent - and Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Pentecostals were undetectable. Roman Catholics (20.7 per cent in 1947) are now the biggest group at 26.8 per cent, with Anglicans next at 21.8 per cent.