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The streets of London are full of religious buildings: churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, and more. London is often perceived as different from the rest of Britain: more liberal and secular. However, Londoners belong to a religion and attend religious services on a regular basis. London is becoming a paradox: a secular, liberal, and cosmopolitan city in which religion is becoming more visible and more significant.
People in London are more religious than in other parts of the UK. A survey shows that 67% of Londoners belong to a religion, compared to only 48% in the rest of the UK. There is a similar proportion of Christians in London and the rest of the country, but the picture is different when it comes to non-Christian religions. Only 4% of people outside London belong to a non-Christian religion, while in London this proportion is 31%.
The proportion of Londoners who say they attend religious services at least once a week has increased dramatically. This is due in part to the fact that those with a non-Christian religion are more likely to attend religious services than Christians. Meanwhile, participation in religious services in the rest of the country remained stable.
The neighborhoods in south London are less religious than those in the north. The most religious neighborhood in London is Newham, where 89.4% of the population identifies with a religion – mainly Christianity or Islam.
There are only three neighborhoods where most people are not Christians: Tower Hamlets, Hackney, and Islington. In the Barnet neighborhood, 17.5% of the population is Jewish, more than any other neighborhood. Similarly, in the largest Hindu neighborhood, Harrow, 30% of the population is Hindu.
If you want to find out about the languages spoken in London, check out our article on this topic: Languages spoken in London.
[Photo from Unsplash]
