Church of England congregations saw their in 2025 with steady increases in weekly and Sunday attendance and strong growth in Christmas and Easter services, an early snapshot of official figures shows.
In the Diocese of Canterbury average weekly attendance was up 3 per cent.
Nationwide, there were an estimated 1.023 million regular worshippers across Church of England congregations last year, up 1.4 per cent on 2024, according to preliminary returns for the annual Statistics for Mission report.
It is the fifth year in a row in which attendance both on Sundays and across the week have risen – the first time this has been seen since current records have been kept.
Just under two million people (1.96 million) joined services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day last year - up 5.5 per cent - in addition to 4.8 million attendances over Advent, a 2.0 per cent rise.
Easter attendance was up 7.8 per cent to just over one million (1.03 million).
Over a typical week an estimated 707,000 people attended Church of England services, up 0.7 per cent on the previous year, and 15.5 per cent higher than 2021 when attendance rebounded after Covid.
Meanwhile average attendance at Sunday services stood at 590,000 – up 1.6 per cent on the 2024 figure.
Despite this recent growth, attendance and participation remain below pre-pandemic levels.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, said: "It is so encouraging to see the ways that God is at work in our Church.
"With more people coming to services on Sundays and throughout the week, as well as during Advent, Christmas and Easter, it shows a yearning for meaning and connection in our often busy and fractured world.
"I give thanks for the clergy, lay people and volunteers who each week make people feel welcome in every parish across our country."