THE number of Islanders who have declared they follow no religion has sharply increased over the past decade, according to newly-released 2021 Census data.

In 2011, 39,960 Isle of Wight residents said they follow no religion. In 2021, this rose to 61,572.

Those declaring themselves as Christian has fallen from 83,671 to 67,005.

There are fewer Atheists - 29 now, compared to 68 in 2011.

Isle of Wight County Press: 2021 census data.2021 census data. (Image: Isle of Wight County Press)

Pagans have increased from 340 to 385, and Wiccas from 40 to 61.

There are 593 Muslims, 136 Jews, 499 Buddhists and 257 Hindus.

There are at least 90 ethnicities declared by Isle of Wight residents.

Isle of Wight County Press:

Of the Island's population, 97 per cent of Islanders identify as white (the top five rows in the table) and compared to 2011 this has fallen from 97.3 per cent.
Of just white British (first row in the table) in 2021 it equated to 93.8 per cent of the Island's population, compared to 94.8 per cent in 2011.

The proportion of people in England and Wales identifying as Christian has fallen below 50 per cent for the first time, according to census data.

Some 46.2 per cent of the population described themselves as Christian on the day of the 2021 census, down from 59.3 per cent a decade earlier, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

This is the first time the proportion has dropped below half.

The census takes place across the UK every 10 years and provides the most accurate estimate of all the people and households in the country.

More data will be published in stages over the next two years.