Abbreviated as RELP; referenced by 3 other explainers
Religion shows the religious affiliation of people in an area. It sorts them into thirty groups under the ABS Religious Affiliation Standard Classification (ARASC).
The figures come from Census data. The Australian Bureau of Statistics collects them.
ABS publishes a separate Not stated count for religious affiliation, so this marker shows a Not stated row next to the other religion groups.
The religion question on the Census is voluntary. About one in twelve people across the country leave it blank. Others mark Not stated. The share can be much higher in some areas and some groups. So the total here does not always match the full population at usual residence.
The list follows ABS rules, not how a person or group might describe their own beliefs. Some communities choose not to answer, for reasons including how religion data has been used. A higher Not stated share in an area can reflect that choice. Read it as a form fact, not as a fact about belief in the area. For planning in religiously diverse places, treat the figures as one input among several. Check them with community organisations where the data shapes services.
Where the Census answer was "Christian" with no further detail, ABS codes it as Christianity: not further defined. The "other" and "inadequately described" branches show how ABS sorts write-in answers. They are not a view about the person's faith.
ABS sets Australian Aboriginal Traditional Religions under "Other religions". This reflects an ABS list choice, not the standing of these ways in Australian life. First Nations status is a separate Census variable. See the First Nations marker for that count. The two are not the same. A First Nations person can mark any religion, or none. In line with Indigenous Data Sovereignty principles, defer to community-controlled organisations on counts of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander religious affiliation.
The total counts people at their usual place of residence. It covers people in non-private homes such as hospitals, aged-care homes, hostels, and student housing. It does not count overseas visitors.
The total here is smaller than the area's ERP-based total. It is an unadjusted Census count, not ERP. The religion question is also voluntary, so the total here is lower than it would be if every person answered.
Place Forecast splits each SA1 figure down to mesh blocks and sums them back to the area you see. The downscaling glossary explains the method and its limits.
Each religion group at the LGA level matches the ABS figure. This is LGA anchoring.
For service choices about one community, read small-area figures as patterns, not exact counts. Check them with community organisations before drawing strong claims.