Page 364 - ILIAS ATHANASIADIS AKA RO1

Between 2015 and 2060, the world’s inhabitants are expected to increase by

32%, but the Muslim population is forecast to grow by 70%.

And even though Christians will also outgrow the general population over that
period, with an increase of 34% forecast mainly thanks to population growth in

sub-Saharan Africa,

Christianity is likely to lose its top spot in the world religion league table to
Islam by the middle of this century.

Hindus are set to grow by 27%, and Jews by 15% mainly because of the high

birth rate among the ultra-Orthodox. The religiously unaffiliated will see a 3%
increase.

But proportionately, these religious groupings will be smaller than now because

their growth is lower than the increase in the overall global population. And
Buddhists are forecast to see a 7% drop in their numbers.

It’s mainly down to births and deaths, rather than religious conversion. Muslim

women have an average of 2.9 children, significantly above the average of all
non-Muslims at 2.2.

And while Christian women have an overall birth rate of 2.6, it’s lower in

Europe where Christian deaths outnumbered births by nearly 6 million between
2010 and 2015. In recent years, Christians have had a disproportionately large
share of the world’s deaths (37%).

And while the religiously unaffiliated currently make up 16% of the global
population, only about 10% of the world’s newborns were born to religiously
unaffiliated mothers between 2010 and 2015.

But 23% of American Muslims say they are converts to the faith, and in recent
years there has been growing anecdotal evidence of Muslim refugees converting
to Christianity in Europe.

China has seen a huge religious revival in recent years and some predict it will

have the world’s largest Christian population by 2030.