Last year, 42% of the Dutch considered themselves to be members of a religious community, down from 53% 10 years ago, national statistics agency CBS said on Friday.

The decline is largely under Catholics. In 2013, 26% of the population said they were Catholic, but that has now fallen to 17%.

The number of people who are members of one of the variety of Protestant churches in the Netherlands fell from 16% to 13% over the same period. The number of Muslims rose slightly from 5% to 6%, while a further 6% of the population subscribe to another form of church.

Older people are more likely to say they have a religious affiliation, with 63% of the over-75s saying they are members of a religious community.

Protestants are most likely to go to church – 33% say they go at least once a week. Only 6% of Catholics go to church regularly, while 27% of Muslims claim to visit a mosque on a weekly basis.