Table of contents
- Church of England statistics at a glance
- Attendance trends across the last five years
- Seasonal peaks: Christmas, Advent, and Easter
- Cathedral statistics and public reach
- Funding, pensions, and institutional scale
- Ministry and ordination snapshot
Church of England statistics at a glance
The latest Church of England statistics point to a pattern that is easy to miss if you only look at a single year: attendance is rising across regular worship, major festivals, and cathedral life at the same time.
Big number: regular worshippers across Church of England congregations reached 1.023 million in 2025, up 1.4% on 2024 (Church attendance grows for fifth year in a row).
That sits alongside a wider five-year run of growth. The data show not just recovery, but sustained movement across several parts of church life, from weekly worship to Christmas and Easter attendance, from cathedrals to clergy-related measures.
Fast facts
- 1.023 million regular worshippers in 2025, up 1.4% (Church attendance grows for fifth year in a row).
- Fifth consecutive year of attendance growth in 2025 (Church attendance grows for fifth year in a row).
- 1.96 million people attended Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services in 2024, up 5.5% year on year (Church attendance grows for fifth year in a row).
- 4.8 million Advent attendances in 2024, up 2.0% (Church attendance grows for fifth year in a row).
- Just over 1.03 million Easter attendances in 2024, up 7.8% (Church attendance grows for fifth year in a row).
Attendance trends across the last five years
The cleanest way to read the Church of England statistics is as a sequence. Regular worship, weekly attendance, child attendance, and baptisms all moved upward across 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025, while the biggest seasonal services continued to draw large crowds.
| Measure | Latest figure | Previous figure | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular worshippers | 1.023 million in 2025 | 1.009 million in 2024 | +1.4% | Church attendance grows for fifth year in a row |
| Worshipping community | 1.009 million in 2024 | 1,007,000 in 2023 | +0.6% | Attendance at Church of England churches rises for the fourth year in a row |
| Weekly attendance | just over 702,000 in 2024 | 693,000 in 2023 | +1.6% | Attendance at Church of England churches rises for the fourth year in a row |
| All-age Sunday attendance | 581,000 in 2024 | not stated | +1.5% | Attendance at Church of England churches rises for the fourth year in a row |
| Adult baptisms | 8,700 in 2024 | 7,800 in 2023 | higher | Attendance at Church of England churches rises for the fourth year in a row |
| Teenage baptisms | 2,400 in 2024 | 2,100 in 2023 | higher | Attendance at Church of England churches rises for the fourth year in a row |
The sequence matters because it shows the scale of the trend. In 2022, the worshipping community grew to 984,000 from 966,000 in 2021 (Church attendance rises for second year running). In 2023, it reached 1,007,000, up from 982,000 in 2022 (Christmas and Easter congregations swell as Church of England sees third year of growth). By 2024, it was 1.009 million, and by 2025 it stood at 1.023 million.
That path suggests a gradual rebuild rather than a one-off spike.
What the weekly figures say
Weekly attendance is another important indicator because it captures ordinary church-going rather than only seasonal surges.
- In 2022, average weekly attendance grew to 654,000 from 605,000 in 2021 (Church attendance rises for second year running).
- In 2023, overall weekly attendance reached 693,000, up from 663,000 in 2022, a 4.5% increase (Christmas and Easter congregations swell as Church of England sees third year of growth).
- In 2024, overall weekly attendance rose to just over 702,000, up 1.6% year on year (Attendance at Church of England churches rises for the fourth year in a row).
- In 2024, all-age average Sunday attendance rose to 581,000, up 1.5% (Attendance at Church of England churches rises for the fourth year in a row).
The broader point is that the baseline is moving, not just the peaks. A church system can record strong Easter or Christmas numbers without seeing meaningful movement in ordinary weeks. Here, the weekly measures also climbed.
Child attendance and family participation
Family and child attendance adds another layer to the data.
- Weekly child attendance in 2023 rose to 95,000 from 90,000 in 2022, up 4.9% (Christmas and Easter congregations swell as Church of England sees third year of growth).
- In 2022, child average weekly attendance was 87,000, up 17% on 2021 (Church attendance rises for second year running).
- In 2022, all-age school service attendance reached 164,000, up 85% on 2021 (Church attendance rises for second year running).
- The 2023 weekly child attendance figure was revised up from a preliminary 92,000 to 95,000 (Christmas and Easter congregations swell as Church of England sees third year of growth).
Those numbers point to a practical reality: the Church of England statistics are not just about older regular congregations. Children, school services, and family-facing worship still represent a material part of the attendance picture.
Seasonal peaks: Christmas, Advent, and Easter
The seasonal data are some of the strongest and most useful figures in the set because they are large, directly comparable, and easy to interpret.
| Seasonal measure | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas Eve and Christmas Day attendance | 1,636,000 | 1,961,000 | 1.96 million | Christmas and Easter congregations swell as Church of England sees third year of growth; Church attendance grows for fifth year in a row |
| Advent attendance / services | 3.9 million Advent attendances | 2.1 million congregation and community services plus 2.3 million civic and school services | 4.8 million Advent attendance | Church attendance rises for second year running; Christmas and Easter congregations swell as Church of England sees third year of growth; Church attendance grows for fifth year in a row |
| Easter attendance | not stated | 938,000 | just over 1.03 million | Christmas and Easter congregations swell as Church of England sees third year of growth; Church attendance grows for fifth year in a row |
A few details stand out.
First, Christmas remains a major annual high point. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day attendance totaled 1.96 million in 2024, after 1,961,000 in 2023 and 1,636,000 in 2022 (Church attendance grows for fifth year in a row; Christmas and Easter congregations swell as Church of England sees third year of growth; Church attendance rises for second year running).
Second, Advent attendance is substantial and broad. The 2024 figure reached 4.8 million attendances, up 2.0% (Church attendance grows for fifth year in a row). In 2023, Advent congregation and community services drew 2.1 million attendances, while Advent civic and school services drew 2.3 million attendances (Christmas and Easter congregations swell as Church of England sees third year of growth).
Third, Easter is growing alongside the other major seasons. Easter attendance rose to 938,000 in 2023 and then to just over 1.03 million in 2024, a 7.8% increase (Christmas and Easter congregations swell as Church of England sees third year of growth; Church attendance grows for fifth year in a row).
Why the seasonal numbers matter
Seasonal attendance is useful because it shows the church’s wider public visibility. These are not small internal counts. They indicate large gatherings that can dwarf weekly attendance in headline terms.
- Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in 2024 drew nearly 2 million attendances (Church attendance grows for fifth year in a row).
- Advent in 2024 drew 4.8 million attendances (Church attendance grows for fifth year in a row).
- Easter in 2024 moved above 1 million (Church attendance grows for fifth year in a row).
If you are reading Church of England statistics for trend direction, these seasonal peaks reinforce the same message as the weekly data: the church is seeing growth in both regular and highly symbolic moments of the year.
Cathedral statistics and public reach
Cathedrals provide a separate but equally useful lens. Their data capture worship, tourism, civic events, education, music, and volunteer activity all in one place.
The 2023 and 2024 cathedral statistics show continued recovery and then growth beyond pre-pandemic levels in at least one core measure.
| Cathedral measure | 2023 | 2024 | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly service attendees | 30,300 | 31,900 | +11% | Cathedral statistics show continued recovery in 2023; Cathedral statistics show continued growth in 2024 |
| Visitor numbers | 9.35 million | 9.87 million | higher | Cathedral statistics show continued recovery in 2023; Cathedral statistics show continued growth in 2024 |
| Public and civic events | 5,000 | 6,000 | higher | Cathedral statistics show continued recovery in 2023; Cathedral statistics show continued growth in 2024 |
| Public and civic event attendance | 1.59 million | 1.74 million | higher | Cathedral statistics show continued recovery in 2023; Cathedral statistics show continued growth in 2024 |
| Graduation ceremonies | 430 | 370 | lower | Cathedral statistics show continued recovery in 2023; Cathedral statistics show continued growth in 2024 |
| Baptisms | fell by 3% | rose by 8% | mixed trend | Cathedral statistics show continued recovery in 2023; Cathedral statistics show continued growth in 2024 |
Cathedral visitor numbers and community use
The visitor figures are especially striking.
- Cathedral visitors in 2023 totaled 9.35 million, up 17% from 2022 (Cathedral statistics show continued recovery in 2023).
- Cathedral visitor numbers in 2024 reached 9.87 million, the first time above pre-pandemic levels (Cathedral statistics show continued growth in 2024).
That means cathedrals are not functioning only as worship sites. They are also major public spaces with high footfall and recurring civic use.
Events, education, and volunteer support
The data also show how much activity sits behind the visitor headline.
- Cathedrals hosted 5,000 public and civic events in 2023 and 6,000 in 2024 (Cathedral statistics show continued recovery in 2023; Cathedral statistics show continued growth in 2024).
- Those events attracted 1.59 million attendees in 2023 and 1.74 million in 2024 (Cathedral statistics show continued recovery in 2023; Cathedral statistics show continued growth in 2024).
- Cathedral educational events in 2024 drew over 203,000 children and young people (Cathedral statistics show continued growth in 2024).
- Nearly 13,000 volunteers supported cathedrals in 2024 (Cathedral statistics show continued growth in 2024).
Music, worship, and cathedral identity
Cathedrals are also notable for their musical and liturgical scale.
- In 2024, cathedral choirs reached a record high of 207 (Cathedral statistics show continued growth in 2024).
- Cathedral choristers and lay clerks numbered 2,120 in 2024 (Cathedral statistics show continued growth in 2024).
- Voluntary choir members numbered 2,070 in 2024, above pre-pandemic levels (Cathedral statistics show continued growth in 2024).
- 95% of cathedrals continued to offer Church at Home services in 2024 (Cathedral statistics show continued growth in 2024).
That mix matters because it shows cathedrals serving several constituencies at once: regular worshippers, tourists, schools, volunteers, civic bodies, and music communities.
Funding, pensions, and institutional scale
Church of England statistics are not only about attendance. They also reveal the scale of the institution behind the numbers.
The Church Commissioners’ endowment fund delivered a 10.3% return in 2024 and was valued at £11.1 billion at the end of the year (Church Commissioners for England endowment fund delivers 10.3% return in 2024).
The Commissioners said the endowment provides around 20% of the Church of England’s total annual running costs and committed £1.2 billion to the Church of England during the 2023-25 funding period (Church Commissioners for England endowment fund delivers 10.3% return in 2024).
Pensions Board data
The Church of England Pensions Board also shows the scale of the church as an employer and service provider.
- The Board served approximately 44,000 members across around 700 Church organisations in 2024 (Church of England Pensions Board publishes 2024 Annual Review).
- It managed £3.4 billion of pension savings in 2024 (Church of England Pensions Board publishes 2024 Annual Review).
- It supported 2,400 retirement housing residents in 2024 (Church of England Pensions Board publishes 2024 Annual Review).
- Its Common Investment Fund delivered a 9.4% total return in 2024 (Church of England Pensions Board publishes 2024 Annual Review).
- The Board completed a £145 million buy-in with Aviva for the Church Workers Pension Fund in 2024 (Church of England Pensions Board completes £145m buy-in with Aviva for the Church Workers Pension Fund).
- That buy-in meant all pensions in the Church Workers Pension Fund Defined Benefit Scheme were fully backed by insurance policies (Church of England Pensions Board completes £145m buy-in with Aviva for the Church Workers Pension Fund).
Taken together, these figures show an institution with substantial assets, long-term obligations, and large-scale internal infrastructure.
Ministry and ordination snapshot
The ministry figures are older than the attendance data, but they still provide an important snapshot of who enters and occupies ordained ministry.
- In 2018, 54% of those starting ordained-ministry training were women (Ministry statistics published).
- In 2018, 30% of the estimated 20,000 active clergy were female (Ministry statistics published).
- In 2018, senior posts such as dean or bishop were 25% occupied by women, up from 23% the prior year (Ministry statistics published).
- Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates were 8% of those beginning training for ordained ministry in 2018 (Ministry statistics published).
- In 2018, 33% of people starting training were under 35 (Ministry statistics published).
These figures are best read as a composition snapshot rather than a trend line, but they still help explain the profile of ministry entry and leadership at that point in time.
The clearest reading of the data
The strongest pattern across the supplied Church of England statistics is breadth.
The church is not only reporting growth in one place. Regular worshippers, weekly attendance, seasonal festivals, cathedral visitors, cathedral events, and pension and funding assets all point to a large institution with multiple active systems.
The numbers also show a clear split between routine and peak activity. Weekly worship is growing, but Christmas, Advent, and Easter still generate far larger totals. Cathedrals are both worship centers and public venues. The Commissioners and Pensions Board provide a financial and organisational base that helps explain the institution’s scale.
In other words, the Church of England statistics do not tell a single story. They show a network of overlapping stories, each with its own rhythm, and each moving through the same period with measurable momentum.