World Muslim population doubling, report projects

[Turborama]

Source: CNN International

By Richard Allen Greene, CNN

Twenty years ago, the world had about 1.1 billion Muslims. Twenty years from now, it will have about twice as many - and they'll represent more than a quarter of all people on earth, according to a new study released Thursday.

That's a rise from less than 20 percent in 1990.

Pakistan will overtake Indonesia as home of the largest number of Muslims, as its population pushes over 256 million, the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life projects.

The number of Muslims in the United States will more than double, to 6.2 million, it anticipates. Afghanistan's population will nearly double, to about 50.5 million, making it home to the ninth largest Muslim population in the world. Israel will become nearly a quarter Muslim. The Palestinian territories have one of the highest growth rates in the world.

Read more: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/27/world-muslim-population-doubling-report-projects/?hpt=C1

---

Long article with more details at the link.



Interactive map showing the growth of Muslim populations by country: http://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2011/01/world/map.muslim.growth/index.html

[T_i_B]

1. Expect hysterical scaremongering from the likes of the UK Daily Mail.

[groundloop]

2. OH NO.... More terrorists.....

:sarcasm:

Maybe I shouldn't joke about this, as a good friend of my son's is Muslim. But I already know what some of my teabagger acquaintances are going to be saying when they hear this.

[Turborama]

3. However, Reuters state the report says the opposite...

Muslim birth rate falls, slower population growth

PARIS | Thu Jan 27, 2011 5:19pm GMT

(Reuters) - Falling birth rates will slow the world's Muslim population growth over the next two decades, reducing it on average from 2.2 percent a year in 1990-2010 to 1.5 percent a year from now until 2030, a new study says.

Muslims will number 2.2 billion by 2030 compared to 1.6 billion in 2010, making up 26.4 percent of the world population compared to 23.4 percent now, according to estimates by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

The report did not publish figures for worldwide populations of other major religions, but said the United States-based Pew Forum planned similar reports on growth prospects for worldwide Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Judaism.

"The declining growth rate is due primarily to falling fertility rates in many Muslim-majority countries," it said, noting the birth rate is falling as more Muslim women are educated, living standards rise and rural people move to cities.

More: http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE70Q6AQ20110127?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews