England and Wales are no longer Christian: shock. Christians a minority for the first time since the dark ages. We are among the most godless nations on Earth. According to the 2021 census, the number of us ticking the Christian box has fallen to less than 48%. While Christian Pentecostalism is booming, barely 12% are members of the national Church of England. More of us now go to a mosque each week than to a parish church. Those of “no religion” have tripled since the millennium, to 37%.
Ethnic minorities now comprise 18% of the population, and form majorities in cities such as Birmingham and Leicester. This means Muslims and Hindus have made up some ground for religion, as such. In one sense, the picture that emerges from this census is improving. Daily headlines may condemn racism and discrimination, but this should not conceal the advances in diversity, equal rights and opportunities compared with England and Wales in the 20th century. According to Opinium research, more of us regard our society as being more tolerant now than it used to be. In few overseas cities do you see such a mix of races as on a our streets or television screens. The politics of Northern Ireland seem so archaic only because it is one part of the UK where religion was until recently a matter of life and death.
