LONDON: UK population by religion – Britain’s Muslim population has seen a ‘rapid’ increase, even as the Christian population grew for the first time, according to one of the most striking findings of the latest census data released by the UK. The bar has declined. 50 percent marks. Interestingly, the UK also has a sizeable Hindu population – UK population data shows. It is the first time that the country’s official religion – Christianity – has been practiced by a minority population.
According to excerpts from data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 46.2% of the population of England and Wales described themselves as Christian on the day of the 2021 census, up from 59.3% a decade earlier. The Muslim population increased from 4.9% to 6.5%, even as 1.7% identified as Hindu, up from 1.5% – cited news agency.
UK population: one million Hindus, 5.24 million Sikhs
According to statistics, the Muslim population in Britain is 3.9 million, followed by Hindus – 10 million and Sikhs – 5.24 million. Interestingly, the Buddhist population in Britain has overtaken the Jewish population, which is 2.71 lakh. About 27.5 million people in England and Wales describe themselves as Christians. This is 13.1 percent less than in 2011.
One in three people said they had ‘no religion’. “The 10-year census carried out in 2021 showed rapid growth for the Muslim population, but “no religion” was the second most common response after Christian,” the ONS said in the report.
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, told AFP the decline in the number of Christians in Britain was not a surprise, but added that spirituality was still needed by the population in light of the rising cost of living and the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
It may be noted that religion is a voluntary entry in the UK population census. This question was added to the UK Census in 2001. According to UK population census figures.