A PICTURE of religion, marriage, wealth, and other aspects of life across the UK has been collated for the first time from the 2021 Census data.

Usually, the census would be carried out on the same day across England and Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland, but, owing to the pandemic, the taking of the Scottish Census was delayed a year to 20 March 2022. In England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, the census occurred on 21 March 2021, meaning that the data were not directly comparable.

The Office of National Statistics, National Records of Scotland, and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency have since created notional estimates for Scotland for the original date, which have been collated with the other regional data.

The new breakdowns, published last week, confirm fewer than half the UK population — 46.64 per cent of the almost 67 million surveyed — now identify as Christian (News, 2 December 2022). This compares with 37.64 per cent who ticked “no religion” in answer to the voluntary question. Six per cent did not answer the question.

Breakdowns of gender and age are also included in the new tables.

More women than men identify as Christian (17 million v. 14 million). This is also the case with Hinduism (533,000 v. 532,000) and Buddhism (160,000 v. 128,000). More men than women identify as having no religion (13.3 million v. 11.9 million). More men than women identify as Muslim (2 million v. 1.2 million).

Of the 13.8 million children surveyed in the UK, 44 per cent are listed as having no religion, compared with 36 per cent who are identified as being Christian. The next highest percentage is Muslim children (ten per cent).

More than half the 14 million UK adults aged 34 and below who were surveyed (52 per cent) identified as having no religion, compared with one third (33 per cent) who identified as Christian. Between the ages of 35 and 59, about 22 million were surveyed, of whom 46 per cent identified as Christian compared with 38 per cent who professed no religion.

The gap widens significantly above the age of 60. Of the 16 million surveyed in this category, almost 70 per cent identified as Christian, compared with 20 per cent who selected no religion.

Of the more than 54 million UK respondents who could legally marry (aged 16 and above), 45 per cent were married or in a civil partnership, compared with 38 per cent who had never been in a marriage or civil partnership. Two per cent were separated but still legally married, while nine per cent were divorced or the partnership had been dissolved. Six per cent were widowed.

Both men and women were more like to be married or in a civil partnership above the age of 35 than between the ages of 20 and 34.