Census figures show Britain grew less religious, more ethnically diverse in last decade

LONDON – Census figures show Britain is more ethnically diverse and less religious than it was a decade ago.

In the 2011 census, 86 percent of residents of England and Wales identified themselves as white, down from 91.3 percent in 2001.

London is the most diverse place in the country, with 45.8 percent of the 8.2 million residents classing themselves as "white British."

Thirteen percent of British residents were born outside the U.K. — of whom half have come to Britain in the past decade.

Some 59 percent of residents said they were Christian, compared with 72 percent in 2001. A quarter said they had no religion, up from 15 percent a decade earlier.

The figures released Tuesday by the Office for National Statistics are based on data from 26 million households.