Religion & 2011 Census

First numbers have been issued from the 2011 Census on religious affiliation.

The headline figures for faith traditions include the following:

Baha'i               5,021

Buddhist           247,743

Christian           33,243,175

Hindu                816,633

Jain                  20,288

Jewish              263,346

Muslim              2,706,066

Sikh                  423,158

Zoroastrian        4,105

The analysts will be pouring over the figures in the weeks and months but one interesting fact that emerges from the raw figures is that religious diversity, far from being solely an urban phenomenon, is actually spread throughout England and Wales.  The six largest religious groups are represented in virtually every census district both rural and urban. (Note: This is the England and Wales Census.  Scotland’s census was conducted separately and figures will come out in 2013.)