National Churches Trust Press Office

We are the UK's leading experts on church buildings. We are available for comments, case studies, interviews and information.

We can find the latest data on trends in the sector; ranging from the numbers of church buildings in the UK to the value that churches make to society and the economy, as well as provide great case studies to accompany these.

We'd be happy to help: whether you are from the media, a church or a heritage organisation. Please get in touch with our Head of Communications, Rachael Adams, at Rachael.Adams@nationalchurchestrust.org or call 07742 800598.

UK church buildings fact sheet

• There are around 20,000 listed cathedrals, churches and chapels in use across the United Kingdom, belonging to a wide range of denominations, together with a number of important listed synagogues, mosques and temples
• 120,000 people visited a warm space every week in 2023. Most warm spaces are held in church buildings.
  Church buildings are the biggest base for voluntary activity in the UK; there are more food banks in church buildings in Britain than branches of McDonald’s.
• Churches provide £55 billion a year of social and economic good (The House of Good, 2021). This figure is a conservative estimate made by independent economic analysts using the Treasury’s Green Book.
• Churches, chapels and meeting houses in the UK host and run vital support – eg AA meetings, mental health support, parent and toddlers' groups – that would cost the NHS £8.4 billion a year to deliver. The same as employing 230,000 nurses (The House of Good: Health 2024)
• The contribution churches and cathedrals make to our creative industries and to tourism is significant; 9.35 million people visited English cathedrals in 2023, a 17 per cent increase from 2022, with many of the visitors coming from overseas.
• Churches are by far the largest base for amateur music-making by choirs and orchestras, as well as housing thousands of professional performances ranging from pop to classical music each year. They also foster talent; musicians including singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran and leading violinist Tasmin Little began their musical careers by taking part in church music.
• There are 985 places of worship on Historic England’s 2025 Heritage at Risk Register; 976 are churches, chapels, meeting houses and cathedrals. In 2025, 57 churches were added to the list.
• More than 60 per cent of all the MPs in England have a church, chapel, meeting house or cathedral on the Historic England Heritage at Risk Register in their constituency.