This was the first time that a state religion in England was supported by less than half the population.

Britain has become an increasingly less religious and less white society in recent decades general description from 2021 as stated by the national statistics agency on Tuesday.

46.2 percent of the population of Wales and England declared themselves Christian, down from 59.3 percent a decade earlier. The Muslim population increased from 4.9 percent to 6.5 percent, while Hindus increased from 1.5 percent to 1.7 percent.

More than 1 in 3 (37 percent) say they do not follow any religion. This figure is up from 25 percent in 2011. Figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland are unclear.

Proponents of secular Britain believe the changes should trigger a review of how religion is embedded in British society. In Great Britain, the Church of England runs schools with state money, Anglican bishops sit in the House of Lords and the king is the defender of the faith and head of the church.

Andrew Copson, chairman of Humanists UK, said the dramatic growth of non-religious groups had made Britain one of the least religious countries in the world.

– One of the most striking things in this survey is that the majority of society is not in line with the state. No country in Europe has a religious system like ours in terms of legislation and public policy and at the same time has such a large proportion of the non-religious population, Copson said.