Canadians are losing their religion at an unprecedented rate, with more than a third of the country reporting no religious affiliation in the latest census, Statistics Canada revealed Wednesday.

And while the latest tranche of data from the 2021 census shows the proportion of non-religious Canadians has more than doubled in the past 20 years 鈥� to 34.6 per cent, up from 16.5 per cent in 2001 鈥� the share of the country who identify as Christian has shrunk.

They made up 53.3 per cent of the population in 2021, down from 67.3 per cent in 2011 and 77.1 per cent in 2001.

鈥淚t is fair to say that the two things that we are seeing 鈥� the growth in the non-religious population, along with the decline in people reporting Christian denominations 鈥� they鈥檙e linked,鈥� said with Jarod Dobson, a senior analyst with StatCan鈥檚 diversity and socio-cultural statistics division.

The trend in Canada is in line with the United States, the agency noted.

鈥淭here are studies that have been done that show that over time, the importance of religion in people鈥檚 lives has decreased,鈥� Dobson said.

For Tania Akon of Toronto, leaving behind her Muslim faith meant losing not only her guiding philosophy, but also her community.

鈥淚f you leave your community in a place like Toronto, you鈥檙e just a worker,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou try to find that meaning and connection and humanity (at work) 鈥� but that鈥檚 not a guarantee.鈥�

In search of that connection, Akon turned to secular humanism, a philosophy-cum-community centred around human dignity. Some 11,390 people described themselves as humanists in the latest census.

The non-religious category includes people who identify as atheist and agnostic, as well as humanists and those with other secular perspectives.

Akon attended her first meeting of the secular community Toronto Oasis in 2017 and has since become one of its volunteer organizers.

Until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, they met weekly at an interfaith centre, hosting speakers and musicians.

鈥淓very Sunday morning, so it鈥檚 like a church except there鈥檚 no dogma, no doctrine,鈥� Akon said.

They migrated to virtual meetings when the pandemic began, and haven鈥檛 switched back since.

Even so, she said, the sense of community persists.

鈥淲e鈥檙e meeting a need,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 being organized by people like me who have the need themselves and have tried to create something to meet a need we have.鈥�

Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Waterloo, said there鈥檚 been a move away from in-person community-building in recent decades.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to say in-person community is dead 鈥� it鈥檚 definitely not. But often now, it鈥檚 switched to digital community,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t takes a certain form that鈥檚 maybe not regular, weekly activities, but is built around our busy lifestyles these days.鈥�

Life has changed a lot since the heyday of Christianity in Canada in the 19th century, she said.

鈥淭he church was often the centre of social, political, community life, as well as a religious centre,鈥� Wilkins-Laflamme said.

鈥淲e鈥檙e now in a society where that鈥檚 still one possibility, but there鈥檚 a lot of other possibilities for people who are seeking community.鈥�

Even as the share of non-religious people is increasing, some non-Christian religions are growing, driven largely by immigration.

Islam is the second most commonly reported religion in Canada in 2021, with nearly five per cent of the population identifying as Muslim. That鈥檚 more than doubled since 2001, when the share was only two per cent.

Meanwhile, 2.3 per cent of the population now identifies as Hindu, compared to one per cent in 2001.

Those who are affiliated with a given religion aren鈥檛 necessarily practising members of that faith, Statistics Canada noted.

The agency said this year鈥檚 release presents the most comprehensive portrait of Canadians鈥� religious affiliations to date, as the census linked to a list of 200 example denominations for people to look at before writing in their religion, which encouraged people to be more specific.

For example, 1,645 people reported being Druidic on the 2021 census, while 4,475 said they were Neopagan. In surveys past, they would only have been identified as Pagan.

The Pagan umbrella, which also includes 12,625 Wiccans, now encompasses 45,325 people.

鈥擭icole Thompson, The Canadian Press