In short
In the 2021 census, 46.2% of people in England and Wales described themselves as Christian, about 27.5 million, the first time the figure fell below half. That was down from 59.3% in 2011. Over the same decade the "no religion" share rose from 25.2% to 37.2%, about 22.2 million people, and the Muslim share rose from 4.9% to 6.5%. In Scotland, the 2022 census recorded about 51% with no religion. Across Britain the Christian share has roughly halved since 2001, driven mainly by generational change.
- In 2021, 46.2% of people in England and Wales were Christian, about 27.5 million, the first time below half, down from 59.3% in 2011 (ONS).
- The "no religion" share rose from 25.2% in 2011 to 37.2% in 2021, about 22.2 million people (ONS).
- The Muslim share rose from 4.9% in 2011 to 6.5% in 2021, about 3.9 million people (ONS).
- In Scotland, the 2022 census recorded about 51% of people with no religion (NRS).
The United Kingdom has long been a majority-Christian country, but that is no longer the case in England and Wales. In the 2021 census, 46.2% of people described themselves as Christian, about 27.5 million, the first time the figure fell below half, according to the Office for National Statistics. That was a sharp drop from 59.3% just a decade earlier in 2011. Over the same period the share reporting "no religion" climbed from 25.2% to 37.2%, about 22.2 million people, and Islam grew to 6.5% of the population. In Scotland, the 2022 census from National Records of Scotland found about half the population reporting no religion. The figures below draw on the ONS and NRS census results, with broader context from Pew Research Center on secularization across Western Europe.
Key findings at a glance
| Metric | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christian (England and Wales) | 46.2% | 2021 | Office for National Statistics |
| No religion (England and Wales) | 37.2% | 2021 | Office for National Statistics |
| Muslim (England and Wales) | 6.5% | 2021 | Office for National Statistics |
| Hindu (England and Wales) | 1.7% | 2021 | Office for National Statistics |
| No religion (Scotland) | about 51% | 2022 | National Records of Scotland |
| Christian share across Britain (2001) | about 72% | 2001 | Office for National Statistics |
How many people in the UK are Christian?
The census is the most authoritative measure of religious identity in the UK, since it asks the whole population rather than a sample. In the 2021 census for England and Wales, Christianity was still the largest religion, but for the first time it was the identity of fewer than half of people, and its share had fallen by more than 13 percentage points in a single decade.
In 2021, 46.2% of people in England and Wales described themselves as Christian, about 27.5 million, the first time the figure fell below half, according to the Office for National Statistics.
In 2011, 59.3% of people in England and Wales described themselves as Christian, according to the Office for National Statistics.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christian in England and Wales | 46.2% | 2021 | Office for National Statistics |
| Christians counted (England and Wales) | 27.5 million | 2021 | Office for National Statistics |
| Christian in England and Wales | 59.3% | 2011 | Office for National Statistics |
| Christian share across Britain | about 72% | 2001 | Office for National Statistics |
| Christian share across Britain | about 46% | 2021 | Office for National Statistics |
Build a daily prayer habit
Pray Focus helps you pray every day by gently locking distracting apps during your prayer time.
The rise of "no religion"
The mirror image of the Christian decline is the rapid growth of people reporting "no religion", now the second largest response in England and Wales. This group grew by about 12 percentage points between 2011 and 2021 and accounts for well over a third of the population.
In 2021, 37.2% of people in England and Wales reported no religion, about 22.2 million, according to the Office for National Statistics.
In 2011, 25.2% of people in England and Wales reported no religion, according to the Office for National Statistics.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| No religion (England and Wales) | 37.2% | 2021 | Office for National Statistics |
| No religion counted (England and Wales) | 22.2 million | 2021 | Office for National Statistics |
| No religion (England and Wales) | 25.2% | 2011 | Office for National Statistics |
| No religion (Scotland) | about 51% | 2022 | National Records of Scotland |
The four nations and other faiths
Religious identity varies across the four nations of the UK, and censuses are run on different timetables by different bodies. Scotland records a higher share of people with no religion than England and Wales, while Islam is the largest non-Christian religion across the UK, followed by Hinduism.
In 2021, 6.5% of people in England and Wales were Muslim, about 3.9 million, up from 4.9% in 2011, according to the Office for National Statistics.
In Scotland, about 51% of people reported no religion in the 2022 census, according to National Records of Scotland.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muslim (England and Wales) | 6.5% | 2021 | Office for National Statistics |
| Muslims counted (England and Wales) | 3.9 million | 2021 | Office for National Statistics |
| Muslim (England and Wales) | 4.9% | 2011 | Office for National Statistics |
| Hindu (England and Wales) | 1.7% | 2021 | Office for National Statistics |
| No religion (Scotland) | about 51% | 2022 | National Records of Scotland |
How we compiled these statistics
Every number on this page is traceable to a primary source and dated to the year the data were collected. The headline figures for England and Wales come from the 2021 Census published by the Office for National Statistics, which asks the whole population about religious identity rather than sampling it. The Scotland figures come from the 2022 census published by National Records of Scotland, which runs on a separate timetable. For broader context on why the Christian share is falling, Pew Research Center has documented a long-running secularization across Western Europe, driven mainly by generational change as younger, less religious cohorts replace older ones. Where data years differ across the four nations, we label each figure with its own year.
Want to slow down and pray instead of scrolling through social media? Pray Focus pairs distraction-free prayer time with a free library of Scripture-based and traditional prayers by theme, Catholic, Protestant, and beyond.
Learn to pray.Make it a daily habit.
One email at a time, at your pace
Join our free email course and learn simple, time-tested ways to pray, with one small thing to try each time, so prayer slowly becomes part of your day.
- 8 short lessons: the Daily Examen, Lectio Divina, ACTS and more
- One tiny exercise each time, so praying becomes a habit
- Gentle and practical, never preachy. Free, forever.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
Related articles
Church Statistics
Church Attendance Statistics: Weekly Attendance Now vs Two Decades Ago (2025)
Weekly church attendance in the US has fallen from about 42% two decades ago to roughly 30% today. Here is what Gallup, Pew, PRRI, and the Hartford Institute actually found, including a first rise in congregation attendance in 25 years.
Church Statistics
Christianity in America: Statistics and Trends (2025)
About 62% of US adults identify as Christian, down from 78% in 2007 but broadly stable since 2019. Here is what Pew, PRRI, and Gallup actually found on belief, prayer, attendance, and the decline that appears to have leveled off.
Church Statistics
Global Christianity Statistics: How Many Christians (2025)
About 2.65 billion Christians worldwide in 2025, still the largest faith, with 68.9% now in the Global South. Here is what Gordon-Conwell, Pew, and the Vatican actually found on the size and shape of world Christianity.