A new Pew Research Centre study states that the Hindus will witness a “dramatic” drop-off in births between 2055 and 2060 due to declining fertility in India, which is home to 94 percent of the community’s global population.
It also said that the number of babies born to Muslim women is expected to overtake those born to Christians world-wide within two decades, making Islam the world’s largest religion by 2075.
Beyond 2015, Christian and Muslim mothers are expected to give birth to increasing numbers of babies through 2060.
Between 2055 and 2060, the birth gap between the two groups is expected to approach 6 million (232 million births among Muslims vs 226 million births among Christians).
Islam is already the world’s fastest-growing religion, according to the study, with the Muslim population increasing by more than 150 million people between 2010 and 2015.
Between 2015 and 2060, the global Muslim population is expected to grow by 70 percent, while Christianity is projected to grow by 34 percent – at which point, the two religions will have similar numbers, the report said.
(With PTI inputs)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)