Are Christians in minority in UK?

According to newly released census data, Christians have officially entered the historical minority status in England and Wales. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reports that in 2021, 46.2% of the population, or 27.5 million people, identified as Christians, a 13.1 percentage point decline from 59.3% (33.3 million) in 2011. Muslims now make up 6.5%, up from 4.9% in 2011. (2021).

Additionally, the number of Jews climbed from 265,000 to 271,000 (both at 0.5%), and the number of Hindus went from 1.5% to 1.7%). (818,000 to 1 million). The rise of 12% in the percentage of people who identify as “none of the above,” from 25.2% in 2011 to 37.2% in 2016, is being blamed for the decline of Christianity in the United Kingdom, despite the state Church of England still having a privileged position and remaining legally recognised (2021). Despite the significant demographic shift, Christianity continues to be the largest religion in England and Wales, with a 65% share, followed by Muslims (6.5%), Hindus (1.7%), Sikhs (0.9%), Buddhists (0.5%), and Jews (0.5%).

The census results also showed that, with the exception of Christianity, every significant religion saw growth throughout the ten-year period. In response to the new report, Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell stated that while the decline in the percentage of Christians through time was not “greatly surprising,” Christianity is still “the largest movement on Earth.” “It’s not a big surprise that the census indicates fewer people in this country identify as Christians than in the past, but it still throws down a challenge to us to not only trust that God will build his kingdom on Earth, but to play our part in making Christ known,” continued The Archbishop.

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