WASHINGTON (CBS DC) Shifts in the worlds major religions will see Islam growing faster than any other faith, with the number of Muslims nearly equaling that of Christians by 2050. A new Pew Research Center study finds that with the exception of Buddhists, the worlds major religions will all see an increase in numbers by 2050, although some will make up a smaller percentage from today. Muslims are the only major religious group projected to increase faster than the worlds population as a whole.
Over the coming four decades, Christianity will remain the worlds largest religious affiliation, but Islam will see a major increase that will make the two religions nearly equal in numbers by 2050. In 2010, Christianity was by far the worlds largest religion, with 2.2 billion followers of the faith and composing nearly one-third (31 percent) of the Earths 6.9 billion people. Islam was second, with 1.6 billion adherents, or 23 percent of the worlds population.
If current fertility rates and youth populations continue to grow at their current rate, Muslims will make up 10 percent of Europes overall population by 2050. Islam is expected to nearly match Christianity in the coming four decades as a result of a comparatively youthful population with high fertility rates.
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If current trends continue, Muslims will outnumber Christians worldwide around 2070.
Muslims worldwide are projected to see a 73 percent increase while Christians will rise about half that fast (35 percent). The worlds overall population is predicted to rise to 9.3 billion by 2050, also with a 35 percent rate of increase over the same time period.
In the United States, Christians will decline from more than three-quarters (78 percent) of the population to about two-thirds (66 percent) by 2050.
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Poster Comment:
It won't that long. Islam will speed up the demise.