Less than half of people in Mendip identify as Christian, the first time the number has fallen below 50%, census data shows.

Only 47% of the district population described themselves as Christian in the 2021 census, down from almost 62% in 2011, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

About 44% selected "no religion" last year, a leap from 27% in 2011. Of these, 70 people said they were agnostic, while 38 selected Atheism.

The figures also show more people in Mendip identify as Muslim, with 338 selecting the religion last year, up from 270 in 2011, while 173 residents said they were Hindu in the survey, up from 113 10 years ago. There were 601 Buddhists and 151 residents who selected Judaism.

Of the other options, 628 said they were pagans and 23 said they practice Heathenism.

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.

The 2021 survey, carried out on March 21 last year, was filled out by more than 24 million households across England and Wales and the data released on Tuesday covers ethnicity, religion, national identity and language.

It also found that:

• The number of people in England and Wales identifying their ethnic group as white has fallen by around 500,000 over a decade.
• In 2021, 91.1% (52.6 million) of usual residents aged three years and over had English (English or Welsh in Wales) as a main language.
• 90.3% (53.8 million) of usual residents identified with at least one UK national identity (English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, British and Cornish).

Speaking about the findings the Archbishop of York, The Most Rev Stephen Cottrell, said: "It's not a great surprise that the census shows fewer people in this country identifying as Christian than in the past, but it still throws down a challenge to us not only to trust that God will build his kingdom on Earth but also to play our part in making Christ known."

The National Secular Society said the figures show that aspects of society such as the Anglican establishment and daily prayers and worship in parliament and schools, are "all inappropriate, hopelessly outdated and fail to reflect the country we actually live in" and called for reform.

Stephen Evans said, the society's chief executive, said: "It's official – we are no longer a Christian country."