Of legal American immigrants in 1992-2012, the share of Christians fell, while the proportion of Muslims and Hindus more than doubled, according to the Pew Research Centre.

AT FIRST glance, the religion of legal American immigrants over the past 20 years appears unremarkable: the vast majority are Christian. Much fewer are Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or identify as “unaffiliated” (which includes atheists and agnostics). But look closer and what emerges is a country in the midst of profound change. The top of the bars show that the share of Christians are falling (from 68% in 1992 to 61% in 2012) while the proportion of Muslims and Hindus have more than doubled (from 5% to 10% and 3% to 7%).

This stems from a shift in immigrants’ national origins. In 1992 most (57%) came from Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean—all largely Christian regions. By 2012 that changed, according to the Pew Research Centre. The majority (53%) came from Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and North Africa. With Europe’s population shrinking and aging, and Latin American countries growing more stable and prosperous, that shift may well be permanent.

The wave of immigrants from Europe who arrived on American shores in the late 19th and early 20th centuries profoundly changed their country, making it not just demographically more Catholic and Jewish, but more tolerant of Catholicism and Judaism. Temples and Catholic churches anchored inner city neighbourhoods. Though the number of Muslim and Hindu immigrants are still low on a relative basis, their mosques and temples may do the same in mid-21st century America.