Muslims See Fastest Growth Globally, Hindus Add 126 Million: Pew Research Study Reveals Religious Trends
Global Religious Landscape Shifts: Pew Study Shows Muslims Grow Fastest, Hindus See Major Rise
A newly released Pew Research Center report on global religious demographics reveals that Islam was the fastest-growing major religion between 2010 and 2020. According to the study, the Muslim population increased by 346 million, outpacing all other religious groups, while Hinduism grew by 126 million, maintaining its share in the global population.
The study offers fresh insight into the evolving religious dynamics worldwide, driven by factors such as fertility rates, disaffiliation trends, and regional concentrations of faith communities.
Islam Leads Religious Growth, Surpassing 2 Billion Adherents
Between 2010 and 2020, the Muslim population grew from approximately 1.65 billion to over 2 billion, marking a growth of 346 million—the highest among all major religions. As a result, Muslims now make up 25.6% of the global population, up from 23.8% a decade earlier.
This sharp increase is largely attributed to high fertility rates in Muslim-majority regions, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia. The study noted that countries such as Kazakhstan, Benin, and Lebanon saw a growth of more than 5% in their Muslim population share.
In contrast, the Muslim population share declined by more than 5 percentage points in Tanzania and Oman, highlighting localized demographic shifts.
Hindu Population Adds 126 Million, Remains Steady in Global Share
The Hindu population also witnessed notable growth, adding 126 million people globally over the same period, reaching a total of 1.2 billion by 2020. However, unlike Islam, Hinduism’s share of the global population remained constant at 14.9%, indicating that the religion’s growth kept pace with overall population growth rather than outstripping it.
Hindu population growth was largely centered in India and Nepal, where the majority of adherents reside. The stability of Hinduism’s global share suggests a balanced demographic trajectory, neither declining nor expanding rapidly on the global stage.
Christianity Remains Largest Religion but Sees Decline in Share
Despite an increase of 122 million people, the global share of Christians dropped by 1.8 percentage points, from 30.6% in 2010 to 28.8% in 2020. Christianity remains the world’s largest religious group, but the demographic shift points toward a relative decline, especially in Europe and Oceania.
The drop is attributed to lower birth rates and increasing religious disaffiliation in countries like the UK (49%), Australia (47%), and France (46%), where Christians now make up less than half the population. Meanwhile, Sub-Saharan Africa emerged as a key Christian stronghold, now home to 30.7% of the world’s Christians, surpassing Europe’s 22.3%.
Rise of the Religiously Unaffiliated and Other Faiths
The study also noted a surge in people identifying as religiously unaffiliated, often referred to as “nones.” This group grew by 270 million to reach 1.9 billion—now representing nearly 24% of the global population. These individuals typically identify as atheists, agnostics, or spiritual-but-not-religious, and are mostly concentrated in Western nations and parts of East Asia.
Meanwhile, smaller religious communities such as Baha’is, Daoists, Jains, Sikhs, and others maintained a steady 2.2% share of the global population, growing at a pace aligned with worldwide demographic trends.
Jewish and Buddhist Populations Show Minimal Change or Decline
The Jewish population remained relatively stable at 14.8 million, maintaining a consistent global share. In contrast, Buddhism was the only major religion to register a decline, though the report did not elaborate on specific causes. Experts suggest a combination of aging populations and lower birth rates in countries like China and Japan may have contributed to the decrease.