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Established churches

The constituent countries of the United Kingdom are quite distinct in religious heritage. England and Scotland have different national churches; Wales and Northern Ireland have none. Non-Christian religious minorities are much larger in England than elsewhere. Most of Great Britain is now very secular; Northern Ireland remains much more religious.

In England the Church of England is the ’established’ (or official) church, and is the largest Christian denomination. It has baptized half the population of England, though that proportion is declining. The Anglican churches in the other parts of the UK account for only a minority of the Christian population. Thus both the Church in Wales and the Scottish Episcopal Church account for only around 3 percent of the populations in their respective countries, while those identifying with the Church of Ireland make up 15 percent of the population in Northern Ireland.

In Scotland the (presbyterian) Church of Scotland is the national church and the largest religious group, with 18 percent of the population (27 percent in 2010).

updated by Ingrid Storm

D 8 February 2017    ADavid Voas

CNRS Unistra Dres Gsrl

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