There has been a large fall in the number of people who consider themselves as Christian, dropping below half the UK population for the first time.
The Office for National Statistics has released it’s latest data about the UK population taken from the 2021 Census, showing the changes since 2011.
Some 46.2% said they were Christian, down from 59.3% in 2011.
The data also shows:
• Number of people using Romanian as their main language rose from 0.1% to 0.8%
• Polish remains most common non-UK identity, Romanian was 2nd, Irish dropped from 2nd to 4th, Indian remains 3rd
• Of Londoners 36.8% identify as White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British – down from 44.9%
• 90.3% of the population selected at least of these identities: British, English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, or Cornish
• Increase in multi-ethnic households, from 8.7% to 10.1%
Speaking about the changing statistics the Archbishop of York said the country has “left behind the era when many people almost automatically identified as Christian”.
The Most Reverend Stephen Cottrell said the Christian church would continue its work in the face of both “revival and decline”.
