Could this be the beginning of the end of Christianity?

The census figures suggest that the decline in belief in Christianity has speeded up. For people to believe in ‘nothing in particular’ is the winning trend, writes Hamish McRae

There has been a sharp fall in only 10 years, but it fits into a pattern across the developed world (AFP/Getty)

Christianity is the world’s most successful religion, with an estimated 2.38 billion believers in 2020. Islam is next largest with 1.91 billion, Hinduism third with 1.16 billion.

Yet within many developed countries where it is still the largest religion, it seems to be in retreat. In England and Wales, according to the new census, fewer than half the population, 46.2 per cent, described themselves as Christian. That is down from 59.3 per cent in the previous census in 2011. By contrast 6.5 per cent said they were Muslim, up from 4.9 per cent in 2011, and 1.7 per cent Hindu, up from 1.1 per cent.

That is a sharp fall in only 10 years, but it fits into a pattern across the developed world. Even in the United States, Christianity is in decline. According to a new report by Pew Research, in 2020 an estimated 64 per cent of the population, including children, were Christian. It makes some projections about the future and estimates that by 2070 the probability is that fewer than half the population there will be Christian. Some 30 per cent of adults describe themselves as atheist, agnostic, or “nothing in particular”.