Nearly a third of people in the UK who were brought up as Christians no longer identify with the religion as adults, according to new figures from the Pew Research Centre.
The findings show Christianity has declined significantly over time, with far more people leaving the faith than joining it.
Among those raised Protestant, just over half of UK adults (around 51%) say this was their childhood background. However, only about 31% still identify as Protestant today. Around 23% no longer follow the denomination, while only roughly 3% have joined it later in life.
A similar pattern is seen among Catholics. About 16% of adults say they were raised Catholic, but only 11% continue to identify as such. Around 7% have left, and approximately 1% have joined.
The data also explores what happens after people leave, with the majority becoming non-religious rather than moving to another faith. Among those who left Protestantism, around 87% now say they have no religious affiliation. For former Catholics, the figure is lower at about 71%. Smaller numbers switch between Christian denominations or adopt another religion.
While the UK is losing people from Christianity, other parts of the world are gaining them. The report says: “Most of the countries where Protestantism has had net gains are in Latin America.” It adds that most Brazilians who switch into Protestantism were previously Catholic, while Sweden, the UK and Germany are among the countries with the largest net losses.
Across the countries surveyed, Christianity shows the largest imbalance between those leaving and those joining. In Germany, for example, there are nearly 20 people who were raised Christian but no longer identify as such for every one person who becomes a Christian.
There are some exceptions. In Singapore, more people are joining Christianity than leaving it, while in Nigeria, the numbers are roughly equal. The survey also found Buddhism is losing followers in countries including Japan and South Korea, although the rate of decline is generally less steep than for Christianity.
