Britons mostly consider themselves Christians. They are divided into Protestants, made up of the Church of England headed by the queen or king, and into a small minority of Roman Catholics. Because of immigration from Eastern Europe, Catholicism is the fastest growing religion. The main churches in the UK are the Church of England (Protestant - Anglican), the Church of Scotland (Protestant), Free Churches such as Baptist, Methodists or United Reform Church, and the Roman Catholic Church. Muslims are the second largest religious group in the UK, and are mostly from Pakistan and Bangladesh. Other significant religious groups include Hindus, Sikhs, Jews and Buddhists.
Some are religious extremists or fundamentalists, while others affiliate to some religion without practicing it. A number of people adhere to no religious denomination. Some people also claim to have no religion at all, for example atheists, who reject altogether any belief in god and agnostics who hold that any knowledge of god is impossible.
Even though Christians are the majority, their number decreased sharply over the course of the years 2001-2011, dropping from 71.7% to 59.3%. Parallel to that, conversions to other religions increased. The proportion of Muslims has risen from 3% to 4.8% in the same interval. In London, where religious background is most diverse, about a fifth of the population identify with a religion different from Christianity. The proportion of people declaring no religious affiliation has jumped from 14.1% in 2001 to 25.1% in 2011. Besides, official statistics from 2009 revealed that 80% of Muslims, 70% of Hindus, 66% of Sikhs, 66% of Buddhists and 32% of Christians actively practise their religion.
The decline of the Christian religion is partly attritutable to the conservative stance of the institution, resisting the advent of women bishops and refusal to grant same-sex marriage.
The way religion is apprehended in Britain raises questions about the funding of faith schools, religious organisations, the legitimacy of religious groups in the political sphere and the presence of bishops in the House of Lords.
