Will take 220 years for India's Muslim population to equal Hindu numbers

Figures show the growth rate of Muslims in India is higher than that of Hindus during 2001-2011


Reuters/web Desk August 26, 2015
The figures show that growth rate of Muslims in India is higher than that of Hindus during 2001-2011 PHOTO: AFP

Results of censuses in India coupled with basic arithmetic show it will be nearly 220 years before the Muslim population in the country equals the Hindu population, according to Scroll

Further, the latest census showed India's Hindus have dropped below 80 per cent of the population for the first time since independence and media had speculated the previous government deliberately delayed the release of the data because it showed a rise in the Muslim population, according to Reuters.

Members of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Hindu nationalist party, which swept to power last year, have expressed growing concern about the rising numbers of Muslims.

Read: India set to become world's most populous country by 2022: UN

The census data shows that Hindus declined to 79.8 per cent of the country's 1.2 billion people in 2011, from 80.5 per cent a decade earlier.

The share of Muslims rose to 14.2 percent from 13.4 percent in 2001 - the only major religious group to record a rise. Christians stayed at 2.3 percent and Sikhs fell to 1.7 per cent from 1.9 per cent.

Sakshi Maharaj, a Hindu priest-turned-politician, caused an uproar earlier this year when he said Hindu women should give birth to four children to ensure that their religion survives.

In the first census, conducted after Britain carved India and Pakistan out of colonial India in 1947, Hindus accounted for 84.1 per cent of the Indian population.

Read: India's Muslim population grows 24%, slower than previous decade

Although population growth is slowing in all religious groups, India is still set to overtake China to become the world's most populous country by 2022, according to a United Nations forecast.

India's population grew by almost a fifth during the period between the last two censuses, straining supplies of land, food and water and bloating its underemployed, poorly skilled workforce.

COMMENTS (18)

Yasin | 8 years ago | Reply Actually it is good for India. When it becomes a Muslim majority nation it will naturally be entitled to Allah's blessings and bounties. The nation will prosper like never before and who knows even oil may be found in Thar deserts.
Anil Gupta | 8 years ago | Reply India is likely to overtake China in population by 2022 as per UN Population report.During 2001 and 2011 India's population grew @ more than 17%. or 1.7% annually.Let us hope that during 2011-21 population growth will decline to some extent.Let us assume that during this period average population growth will be 1.6% annually.And during next decade that is 2021-2031 it will come down to 1.5% annually.By this rate India will be 1500 million by 2026.We should prepare all our plans for that eventuality.
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