Church attendance is on the rise in England and Wales, especially among younger generations, marking a significant reversal in decades-long trends, according to a new report from the Bible Society.
The report, The Quiet Revival, is based on two datasets compiled by YouGov: one from 2018 with 19,101 adults and another from 2024 with 13,146 adults in England and Wales. It found that younger people, particularly young men, are leading a surge in church attendance.
In 2018, just 4% of 18- to 24-year-olds attended church at least once per month. By 2024, that number had climbed to 16%—with young men increasing from 4% to 21%, and young women from 3% to 12%.
“Overall, churchgoing Christians now make up 12% of the population, up from 8% in 2018,” the report stated. “In numerical terms, that’s growth from 3.7 million in 2018 to 5.8 million in 2024 — an increase of 56%.”
The report also highlighted a greater diversity within congregations, noting that 19% of churchgoers now come from an ethnic minority background, rising to one in three among adults aged 18 to 54.
“At the same time Catholicism has risen sharply and Pentecostalism has become the third biggest Christian tradition, with the share of churchgoers identifying as Anglicans dropping steadily,” the report said.
Alongside this demographic shift, the report found signs of renewed spiritual engagement among churchgoers.
“Rates of belief in God remain high, while both Bible reading and rates of confidence in the Bible have increased among churchgoers compared to 2018, indicating that new attenders are just as engaged in Christian belief and practice,” the report noted.
The report also noted that those who do not engage in spiritual disciplines such as attending church meetings or reading the Bible are less likely to identify as Christians.
“Christianity increasingly involves an active commitment rather than a passive cultural label, and there is a clear difference between churchgoing and non-churchgoing Christian,” the report said.
Young people, in particular, showed growing openness to spirituality and faith practices. Forty percent of 18- to 24-year-olds reported praying, and 51% said they engaged with a spiritual practice within the last six months, compared to 42% of older respondents. Thirty-seven percent expressed interest in learning more about the Bible.
“With much of the population, in particular young people, struggling with mental health, loneliness and a loss of meaning in life, church appears to be offering an answer,” the report said.
“We found that churchgoers are more likely than non-churchgoers to report higher life satisfaction and a greater feeling of connection to their community than non-churchgoers. They are also less likely to report frequently feeling anxious or depressed – particularly young women.”
Churchgoers were also found to be more involved in their communities.
“Churchgoers are more likely to volunteer, donate to foodbanks and give to charitable causes, demonstrating the positive effect of Christian faith on their lives – and the impact that a rise in churchgoing can have on society as a whole,” the report said.
Despite the positive trends, the report offered a word of caution: a third of churchgoers lack confidence in studying and understanding the Bible.
“There is a clear need for more discipleship around Scripture,” the report stated. “Among young Christians, rates of Bible reading, Bible confidence, and interest in learning more are high.
“However, we also see that compared to older churchgoers, they are more likely to say the media and British culture often shake their faith in the Bible and report they have less confidence in the Bible than they used to.
“They are also the age group to report they find learning about the Bible to be challenging. This poses a challenge to the Church but also an opportunity to tap into and learn from their energy and enthusiasm while enabling them to go deeper into Scripture.”
