Attachment Info
- The Changing Global Religious Landscape
- Estimated shares of births and deaths
- Muslims projected to be fastest-growing major religious group
- Only Muslims and Christians are expected to have increasing number of births; all groups expected to have rising number of deaths due to population aging
- Estimated shares of births and deaths
- Projected change in global population, 2015-2060
- Muslims and Christians have more children per woman than other religious groups
- Christians are the largest religious group in 2015
- The majority of the global unaffiliated population lives in Asia and the Pacific
- Muslims and Hindus are the youngest religious populations
- Babies born to Muslims will begin to outnumber Christian births by 2035
- With wide gulf between births and deaths, Muslims saw more growth than any other religious group due to natural population increase between 2010-2015
- Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region where births expected to increasingly outnumber deaths among Christians
- Muslims population growth is expected to slow down in Asia-Pacific and speed up in sub-Saharan Africa
- By 2030, more deaths than births among the unaffiliated in the Asia-Pacific, where majority reside
- Ranks of unaffiliated are expected to grow due to religious switching
- Religiously affiliated women are younger and have more children than religiously unaffiliated women
- Unaffiliated population shares and projected natural increase by region, 2010-2060
- Muslim population shares and projected natural increase by region, 2010-2060
- Christian population shares and projected natural increase by region, 2010-2060
- Young adults and the religiously unaffiliated among most likely to think people with no religion will be the largest group in 2050
- Most predict global growth of religious ‘nones’ in coming decades
- About half of Americans know that Christians are largest global religious group
- Size and projected growth of major religious groups, 2015-2060
- Most religious population change between 2010 and 2015 came from natural increase (births minus deaths)
- Growing shares of Christians and Muslims expected to live in sub-Saharan Africa
- Among Christians, deaths exceeded births in 24 of 42 countries, 2010-2015
- In many European countries, unaffiliated births exceeded deaths 2010-2015
- Young adults and the religiously unaffiliated among most likely to think people with no religion will be the largest group in 2050
1615 L St. NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036
USA
(+1) 202-419-4300 | Main
(+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax
(+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries
Research Topics
ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.
Copyright 2024 Pew Research Center