From 2010 to 2020, the global Muslim population has increased significantly — and India is no exception. It is now claimed that in the next 25 years, India will become the country with the largest Muslim population in the world. This sensational projection was recently published by the U.S.-based think tank Pew Research Center.
According to the report, over the past decade, the global Muslim population has grown by 347 million, which is a larger increase than that of any other religious group. In 2010, Muslims made up 23.9% of the global population; by 2020, that rose to 25.6%. Pew Research attributes this to the Muslim community’s higher birth rate compared to its death rate. Although religious conversions are also a factor, their overall impact remains minimal.
The greatest increase in Muslim population has occurred in the Asia-Pacific region. Pew’s report predicts that by 2050, the global Muslim population will reach 2.8 billion. By that time, India will surpass Indonesia to become the country with the largest Muslim population in the world.
On the other hand, the report also reveals that the Hindu population grew by 12% globally between 2010 and 2020 — a rate that mirrors the overall global population growth. In 2020, there were 1.2 billion Hindus, representing 14.9% of the global population. However, in India — the country with the largest number of Hindus — the Hindu percentage slightly declined. In 2010, Hindus made up 80% of India’s population; by 2020, this fell to 79%. During the same period, the Muslim population in India increased from 14.3% to 15.2%, with a net growth of 35.6 million. This rise has been primarily attributed to higher fertility rates among Muslims, with religious conversion playing a relatively minor role.
The report also analyzed the population trends of other religious groups. For instance, the Christian population grew from 2.18 billion to 2.3 billion, but its global share declined from 30.6% to 28.8%.
Conversely, the Buddhist population has seen a significant decline. Experts point out that most Buddhists live in China, where strict birth control policies in recent times have contributed to this decrease.
Another notable finding is that atheists have experienced the second-highest growth after Muslims. Their numbers increased by 270 million, bringing the global atheist population to 1.9 billion, or 24.2% of the total global population, according to Pew Research.
