Most people who leave Christianity in Britain move towards atheism, according to a new survey, with 39 per cent of Christians questioned who moved to another faith choosing Paganism.

The Institute for Faith in Later Life questioned 2,774 people who had self-identified as having experienced a change in their religious belief. Eighty-three per cent of those who had left Christianity identified as “atheist” or “agnostic”.

The report found that Britain’s religious landscape is undergoing a quiet but profound transformation. It sais the story is no longer one of simple decline but of diversification, from organised religion toward personalised meaning systems that combine elements of faith, spirituality, and moral individualism.

Christianity remains the most popular faith to move into, with 36 per cent questioned reporting becoming a Christian or deepening their commitment to Christianity. Only 3 per cent said they had converted to the Dharmic traditions (mainly to Buddhism) and 2 per cent to Islam.

However, Christianity is also the faith with the largest outflow. 44 per cent reported leaving or weakening in Christianity, while only 1 per cent reported leaving Islam.

Out of the participants who described themselves as having experienced a significant faith change, secularisation emerged as the dominant direction of travel. Of all participants, 39 per cent described shifting into atheism, while 8 per cent moved toward a spiritual but non-religious identity.

The Institute for Faith in Later Life said the findings “reveal a Britain in religious transition rather than decline. While Christianity continues to experience the most substantial numerical losses, religion itself has not receded from public or private life. Instead, belief is diversifying, reshaping into more individualised, experiential, and wellbeing-oriented forms that reflect the cultural, demographic and emotional realities of modern Britain.”