According to the latest census, less than half of people in England and Wales are Christian, with atheism and Islam making significant gains.
The majority of people in both England and Wales are not Christian for the first time since the 7th century AD, according to data from the 2021 census released on Tuesday.
Based on the data from the United Kingdom’s Office of National Statistics, both England and Wales have lost their status as majority-Christian nations, with only 46.3 percent of the English population identifying as Christian, and 43.6 percent of the Welsh population identifying as adherents to a Christian denomination.
While Christianity remains the majority religion in both countries, it is the first time in modern history, and most likely since the British Isles were converted and moved away from Paganism 1,300 years ago, that the total percentage of the population who are Christian has dropped below 50%.
When viewed over longer time periods, the change is even more pronounced, with 46% of those in England professing to be Christian today, compared to 71% in 2001, just 20 years ago.
Islam saw the next largest overall increase, rising from 2.7 million to 3.9 million in the decade, a 44 percent increase. Muslims now account for 6.5 percent of ordinary residents in England and Wales, up from 2.9 percent in 2001.
Smaller religions saw an increase as well, with the number of self-described pagans in the country increasing by over 15,000 since 2011, and the country seeing an additional 200,000 Hindus and 100,000 Sikhs.