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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Harriet Sherwood

Church of England figures show attendances hit by Covid

Church service showing worshippers from behind
C of E services were attended by 685,000 people in 2023 – 62,000 less than the projection – or 1.2% of the population of England. Photograph: Karen Robinson/The Observer

The Covid pandemic accelerated a decline in the number of people who regularly attend Church of England services, according to data.

If there had been no pandemic – during which churches were closed for several months – the C of E estimates that about 747,000 people would have attended weekly services in 2023, continuing a declining trend.

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