Global Birthrate Differences Make Islam the Fastest Growing Religion

Islam is the world’s fastest growing religion and by 2050 the number of Muslims in the world will be close to the number of Christians. That’s the finding of an authoritative study by the Pew Research Centre, The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050. 

The research analyses patterns of birthrate, migration and ‘religious switching’ to make projections about the future global religious mix. By 2050 Christianity will remain the largest religion, but Islam is the fastest growing religion, with birthrate the biggest factor, due to regional variations in fertility rates. While birthrates in many western nations are less than 2 per woman, rates in large parts of Africa are above 3 per woman.

The main author and lead researcher of the report is Dr Conrad Hackett. He recently visited Australia as a guest of the Australian Catholic University, taking some time out to speak with Open House about this definitive study.