Muslims: Minority No More

Once a minority community in the true sense, the world’s Muslim population will multiply exponentially in the next 35 years, says a Pew Research Center Report, released on April 2.

Between 2010 and 2050, a comparatively youthful Muslim population with high fertility rates is projected to increase by 73%.

For the first time in history, the number of Muslims will be at par with the number of Christians around the world.

By 2050, with the tally of the Muslim population touching 2.8 billion and comprising 30% of the global population, they will catch up with the Christian community, which will comprise 31% of the global population with a tally of 2.9 billion people.

- Pew Report

Of further interest is the fact that by 2050, Muslims will constitute more than 50% of the population across 51 countries.

Christians: Slow but Steady

The Christian population’s growth will be far from astronomical, with their absolute numbers rising only marginally from 2.2 billion in 2010 to 2.9 billion in 2050.

By 2050, every third person is expected to be a Christian, with the community forming 31% of the global population - the percentage share remaining unchanged from 2010.

- Pew Report

With birth rates declining dramatically among Europe’s Christians, it is the only region where the absolute number of Christians will decline by 2050. Numbers are likely to fall from 553 million in 2010 to 454 million in 2050.

Hindus: Migration Fueled Growth

Even as Muslims and Christians will be the dominant communities globally, India will continue to house the largest numbers of Hindus.

The Hindu community is projected to become the third largest globally by 2050, its numbers going up by 34%, from 1 billion to nearly 1.4 billion.

- Pew Report

Interestingly, by 2050, India will also be home to the largest population of Muslims within a single country, overtaking Indonesia.

And here’s the impact of migration - the number of Hindus in Europe is expected to roughly double, from a little under 1.4 million to nearly 2.7 million, by 2050. 

Buddhists: A Story of Declining Numbers

A close knit and significantly small global community, the number of Buddhists around the world is expected to increase between 2010 and 2030, rising from 488 million to about 511 million.

However, the global Buddhist population is projected to decline after 2030, falling to 486 million by 2050 - roughly where it stood in 2010.

This can be attributed to not just low fertility rates, but also an aging population as well in countries such as China, Thailand and Japan.

Jews: Small Yet Dominant

The Jewish community is influential, but by far, among the smallest religious groups globally.

While separate projections have been made for the Jewish community, they are expected to grow by 16%, with their global tally rising from 14 million in 2010 to 16.1 million in 2050.

- Pew Report

In the United States however, Judaism will no longer be the largest non-Christian religion, since Islam will also play a dominant role with the absolute number of Muslims set to increase.