Babies born to non-religious mothers in decline, finds new study

By 2055 to 2060, just nine per cent of births will be to women without faith affiliation

Religiously unaffiliated people account for 16 per cent of the global population, but just 10 per cent of newborns were born to mothers with no faith between 2010 and 2015 (KQconcepts/iStock)

The number of babies born to mothers with no religious affiliation will dramatically decline over the next 40 years, according to new research.

By 2055 to 2060, just nine per cent of babies will be born to religiously unaffiliated women, including those who hold atheist, agnostic or no religious views at all, according to a Pew Research Centre study.

In contrast, more than seven in ten will be born to either Muslims or Christians, accounting for 36 per cent and 35 per cent of births respectively.

Religiously unaffiliated people account for 16 per cent of the global population, however just 10 per cent of newborns were born to religiously unaffiliated mothers between 2010 and 2015, the research found.

It comes as global religious trends undergo a marked shift, as the millennial generation rejects traditional religious affiliation.

An estimated 60 per cent of millennials raised in a churchgoing household no longer attend, according to another Pew Research centre survey.

Just 36 per cent of millennials identify as religious, compared to 47 per cent of Generation X surveyed at the same age.

The research points to a religious exodus among the younger generations, across all faiths, and an increase in non religious adults, as millennials reach adulthood.

However, while only 27 per cent of millennials attend church, 42 per cent still pray daily, the 2015 survey found.

It also found 67 per cent of this demographic still believe in some kind of heaven or afterlife.

Pew’s 2017 prediction models used data from 2,500 censuses, surveys and population registers since 2009.

Pew’s 2015 survey polled 35,071 US adults in 2014.