Seven out of every 10 Canadians identify themselves as either Roman Catholic or Protestant, according to data from the 2001 Census.

The census showed a continuation of a long-term downward trend in the population who report Protestant denominations. The number of Roman Catholics increased slightly during the 1990s, but their share of the total population fell marginally.

At the same time, the number of Canadians who reported religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism has increased substantially.

Much of the shift in the nation’s religious make-up during the past several decades is the result of the changing sources of immigrants, which has contributed to a more diverse religious profile. As well, many major Protestant denominations that were dominant in the country 70 years ago, such as Anglican and United Church, are declining in numbers, in part because their members are aging and fewer young people are identifying with these denominations.

In 2001, Roman Catholics were still the largest religious group, drawing the faith of just under 12.8 million people, or 43% of the population, down from 45% in 1991. The proportion of Protestants, the second largest group, declined from 35% of the population to 29%, or about 8.7 million people.

Combined, the two groups represented 72% of the total population in 2001, compared with 80% a decade earlier.

The 2001 Census also recorded an increase in those reporting simply that they were “Christian”, without specifying a Catholic, Protestant or Christian Orthodox faith. This group more than doubled (+121%) during the decade to 780,400, representing 2.6% of the population in 2001. This was one of the largest percentage increases among all major religious groups.

In addition, far more Canadians reported in the 2001 Census that they had no religion. This group accounted for 16% of the population in 2001, compared with 12% a decade earlier.

Respondents in the 2001 Census were instructed to report a specific denomination or group, even if they were not practising members of their group. Consequently, these data indicate only religious affiliation. Other data sources, principally Statistics Canada’s General Social Survey, are available as measures of attendance at religious services.

Use your Canada cell phone rental to find a place of worship near you.