There has been a significant decline in the number of people who identify as Christians, which has dropped below fifty percent of the population of England and Wales for the first time.
The Office of National Statistics has released its most recent Census data from 2021, revealing changes since 2011.
In 2011, 59.3% of the population identified as Christians, compared to 46.2% in 2016.
The findings also indicate:
• The proportion of individuals who speak Romanian as their primary language increased from 0.1% to 0.8%, ranking second only to Polish on a list of languages other than English and Welsh.
• 37.2% claimed they had “no religion,” an increase from 25.2%, while those selecting Muslim increased from 4.9% to 6.5%
• Polish remains the most prevalent non-British identity, Romanian was second (increasing from 16th position in 2011), Indian remained third, and Irish fell to fourth place (from 2nd)
• Of Londoners – the most ethnically varied region in England – 36.8 percent identified as White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, or British, a decrease from 44.9% in 2001.
• At least 90.3% of the population identified as British, English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, or Cornish.
• Multiethnic families increased from 8.7% to 10%.
Archbishop of York stated, about the shifting demographics, that the nation had “left behind the era when many individuals almost immediately identified as Christian.”
The Most Reverend Stephen Cottrell stated that despite “revival and decay,” the Christian church would continue its mission.
Meanwhile, Humanists UK chief executive Andrew Copson stated: “These data demonstrate that the most significant demographic shift in England and Wales over the past decade has been the substantial increase in the number of nonreligious individuals. They indicate the United Kingdom is probably certainly one of the least religious nations on the planet.”
