Why are there so many catholics in countries like Australia, Canada and New Zealand if the UK has so little?

by LewHen
deathguard6

Im not sure i would consider NZ to have a large number of Catholics

census figures from 2013 give us that there are 492,328 which is 11.07 percent of the total population.

compare this to the UK straight from wikipedia In 2011 there were more than 7.5 million Catholics in the United Kingdom; 5,855,250 in England and Wales (8%)

There is some discrepancy but its not that much

These figures are likely to vary from official records of the church since for example on the census i did not list myself as catholic however i was baptized and so would still be on there registers as a catholic.

As to why in New Zealand at least many of the first people here were missionaries they set up schools and spent a lot of time converting the local populace the Maori. Many of the top schools in New Zealand have religious roots for example a list

Auckland's top schools according to Metro magazine

  1. (St Cuthbert's College)
  2. (Diocesan School for Girls)
  3. Epsom Girls Grammar
  4. (Carmel College)
  5. (Baradene College)
  6. (Rosmini College)
  7. (Westlake Girls High)
  8. (St Kentigern College)
  9. (Kingsway School)
  10. Takapuna Grammar School
  11. (St Mary's College)
  12. Rangitoto College
  13. (Dilworth School)
  14. (Wesley College)
  15. Pakuranga College
  16. Howick College
  17. Glendowie College
  18. (Marist College)
  19. Mt Roskill Grammar 20.( Sacred Heart College)
  20. (St Dominic's)
  21. Sir Edmund Hillary
  22. Western Springs College
  23. (Liston College)
  24. Auckland Girls Grammar I put brackets round religious ones these religious schools are often over 100 years old and so religion has been the provider of quality education in New Zealand for most of its short history.

After the treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 there was an influx of settlers many of these people were Irish Catholics. These individuals tended to stay within there own communities and there children were often sent to catholic schools.

With all of this in mind however i am still not sure whether I would say New Zealand has many more Catholics than UK in fact in absolutes it has far less as would be expected due to population sizes.