London has centres of worship for many faiths. According to the 2021 Census, the largest religions are Christianity (40.66%), followed by Atheism (27.05%), Islam (14.99%), no response (7%), Hinduism (5.15%), Judaism (1.65%), Sikhism (1.64%), Buddhism (1.0%), and others (0.9%).[1] Compared to the previous census, the most noticeable changes are that Christianity decreased whereas Atheism increased.
Historically, London has been predominantly Christian. This is clear from the large number of churches around the area, particularly in the City of London, which alone contains around 50 churches. According to a 2000 report, the biggest Christian denomination in London is Catholicism (35% of the Christian population), followed by Anglicanism (33%).[3]
London's first mosque was established by Mohamad Dollie in 1895, in modern-day Camden.[4] The East London Mosque is the largest Muslim centre in Central Europe. London Central Mosque is a locally well-known landmark on the edge of Regent's Park, and there are many other mosques in the city.
Over half of the UK's Hindu population lives in London, where they make up 5% of the population. British Hindus primarily live in Western London; however, every borough has a significant Hindu population and, as per the 2011 census, the London borough of Harrow has the largest concentration of Hindus at 25%.
The first written record of Jewish settlement in London dates from 1070, although Jews may have lived there since Roman times. The Bevis Marks Synagogue, built in 1701 in the City of London, is the oldest synagogue in the United Kingdom still in use. In 1899, a map was published showing, by colour, the proportion of the Jewish population to other residents of East London, street by street. It illustrates clearly the predominantly Jewish population at the time in the areas of Whitechapel, Spitalfields, and Mile End in particular.[14]
London has a sizable Sikh population, most of whom live in the west of the city in areas such as Southall, Hounslow, and Hayes. In southeast London, there are some Sikhs in Bexleyheath, Erith, Sidcup, Plumstead, and Woolwich. In northeast London, there are some in North Newham and Ilford. In northwest London, some live in northwest Brent and some parts of Harrow. The largest Sikh temple in London (and outside India) is Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Southall.[15]
Roughly one in four Londoners have no religion, and much of London's civic life and civil society is secular in the sense that it has no religious character.
To the extent that non-religious movements have actively organised in the UK, many organise nationally from London. The non-religious humanist movement in the UK largely began in London in the 19th century with the foundation of various "ethical churches" and "ethical societies". Over time, these groups came to form the basis of non-religious charities in the UK: Conway Hall, based in the former South Place Ethical Society in Holborn, and Humanists UK, which was formed by the merger of the UK's remaining ethical societies. Of Humanists UK's London chapters, the largest is the Central London Humanist Group, which frequently meets at Conway Hall.
The 19th-century non-religious congregational model of the ethical churches still persists to some extent. The non-religious Sunday Assembly movement began in London in 2013. Unitarian groups in Islington and Hackney also now organise under the umbrella of the "New Unity" church, which describes itself as "a non-religious church".
