For the first time ever in a census of England and Wales, fewer than half the population — 46.2% — described themselves as “Christian” in the nation’s 2021 headcount, the Office for National Statistics said Tuesday.
Britain, which sent Bibles and missionaries throughout its global empire to spread the Christian faith during the 18th and 19th centuries, is moving towards secularism and away from the official state religion, the numbers indicate.
Answering questions about religious affiliation is voluntary, the ONS said, but 94% of the overall population answered the question, up from 92.9% in 2011. Self-identified Christians totaled 24.