Less than half the population of England and Wales identifies as Christian. That's the standout finding of the latest release of information by England and Wales's Office for National Statistics (ONS), as part of its ten-yearly 2021 Census. 

There has been a corresponding surge in those identifying with no religion.

It's the first time in Census history that the proportion of the two nations' populations identifying as Christian has fallen below 50 percent - and marks a fall of around a quarter in the past decade.

The proportion of people saying they are Christian is now at 46.2 percent, compared to 59.3 percent in 2011. By contrast, the number who identify with no faith has risen from 25.2 percent to 37.2 percent.

The other major trend seen is the rise of those identifying as Muslim, from 4.9 percent in 2011 to 6.5 percent - a total of 3.9 million.  Around one million people identify as Hindu, a rise from 1.5 percent to 1.7 percent. 

According to the ONS: "There are many factors that may be contributing to the changing religious composition of England and Wales, such as differing patterns of ageing, fertility, mortality, and migration. 

"Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals chose to answer the religion question between censuses."

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Regional differences

Strikingly, the principality of Wales has seen a greater decrease then England in people reporting their religion as Christian, and a larger increase in those having 'no religion.' 

The Census question on religion is voluntary and was answered by 94 percent of usual residents.

The ONS report said London remains the most religiously diverse region of England in 2021, with 25.3 percent of all usual residents reporting a religion other than Christian.

The North East and South West of England are the least religiously diverse, with just 4.2 percent and 3.2 percent respectively selecting another religion.

A total of 405,000 of the overall population - less than one percent - chose to write-in a response to the 'any other religion' option. The highest number recorded was for Pagans (74,000). The largest increase has seen Shamanism - a religious practice involving practitioners interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness - increase more than tenfold from around 650 to 8,000.

The census is carried out every 10 years by the ONS and gives a snapshot of all the people and households in England and Wales.