The Future of the Global Muslim Population, a recent report by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, finds that the world’s Muslim population is expected to increase by about 35% in the next 20 years, rising from 1.6 billion in 2010 to 2.2 billion by 2030.
Explore the report using the resources below.
Quick Links
Full Report Read through the preface, executive summary, report chapters and appendices.
Interactive Maps Select a country, a region or the world – as well as a point in time – and see the size of the Muslim population in that place and time.
Sortable Data Tables View and sort countries by the size of their Muslim population and by Muslim population growth.
Press Release Read the Jan. 27, 2011, press release.
2009 Report An October 2009 report, Mapping the Global Muslim Population, offers fully sourced 2009 estimates of the size and distribution of the worldwide Muslim population, including sectarian identity.
Audio and Video
Pew Forum Press Conference Call
Pew Forum experts discussed the findings from the report during a Jan. 27, 2011, conference call.
Listen to audio from the call.
Read the written transcript.
State Department Briefing (links takes you to State Dept. site)
Alan Cooperman, associate director for research at the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, gave a summary of the findings of the report at a Jan. 28, 2011, State Department briefing.
Watch the video of the event.
Read the event transcript.
Download
Download the full report as a PDF (11 MB, 221 pages)
Download the preface and executive summary in Arabic (2.11MB, 18 pages)
Graphics
Download the graphics and charts created for this report in a .zip file.
Muslim-population-graphics.zip (4.07 MB 118 graphics)
Featured Images:
Selected Press Coverage
Articles | Videos
Articles
January 27, 2011 – The New York Times
NYT: Forecast sees Muslim population leveling off
A new report forecasts that the number of Muslims around the world will grow over the next 20 years at twice the rate of non-Muslims, but that the rapid growth will level off.
January 27, 2011 – The Economist
Economist: A waxing crescent: Islam is growing. But ageing and slowing. That will change the world
Are Muslims taking over the world, or at a minimum, transforming Europe into Eurabia? Whatever your hopes or fears for the future of the world’s religions, a report published this week has plenty to stoke them. “The Future of the Global Muslim Population”, produced by the Pew Research Centre, a non-profit outfit based in Washington, DC, reckons Muslim numbers will soar from 1.6 billion in 2010 to 2.2 billion by 2030. In other words, from 23.4% to 26.4% of the global total.
January 27, 2011 – Slate
Slate: Crowded, with a chance of overcrowded
The global Muslim population will grow twice as fast as the non-Muslim population over the next 20 years, according to a report from the Pew Research Center and the John Templeton Foundation published on Thursday. During the same time period, the American Muslim population will more than double. How do demographers come up with these numbers?
January 27, 2011 – CNN
CNN: World Muslim population doubling, report projects
(Video in the middle of the page)
Twenty years ago, the world had about 1.1 billion Muslims. Twenty years from now, it will have about twice as many – and they’ll represent more than a quarter of all people on earth, according to a new study released Thursday.
January 27, 2011 – AOL News
AOL News: World Muslim population grows twice as fast as others
The global number of Muslims is expected to jump 35 percent in the next 20 years, growing twice as fast as the non-Muslim population, according to a study published today. But Muslims are multiplying at a slower pace than before, and their numbers are expected to level out in the coming decades.
January 27, 2011 – Voice of America
VOA: Study: Muslims to make up fourth of world’s population by 2030
A major research institute in Washington, DC, is predicting that the global Muslim population will grow by more than a third over the next two decades – with significant increases in Europe and the United States. However, it also expects that the overall rate of growth will begin to slow down.
January 27, 2011 – Reuters Faith World
Reuters: Will Pew Muslim birth rate study finally silence the “Eurabia” claim?
One of the most wrong-headed arguments in the debate about Muslims in Europe is the shrill “Eurabia” claim that high birth rates and immigration will make Muslims the majority on the continent within a few decades. Based on sleight-of-hand statistics, this scaremongering (as The Economist called it back in 2006) paints a picture of a triumphant Islam dominating a Europe that has lost its Christian roots and is blind to its looming cultural demise.
January 28, 2011 – Los Angeles Times
LA Times: American Muslim population projected to double by 2030
A Pew Research Center projection sees the American Muslim population doubling from 2.6 million to 6.2 million in 20 years. Globally, the Muslim population will rise to 2.2 billion, more than a quarter of the world’s population.
January 28, 2011 – Religion News Service
RNS: Muslim growth fears called overblown
The U.S. Muslim population is expected to double over the next 20 years, fueled by immigration and higher-than-average fertility rates, according to a new report released Thursday.
January 28, 2011 – The Denver Post
Denver Post: CU-Boulder team to research Rocky Mtn. Muslims
Assistant journalism professor Nabil Echchaibi knew he was a pioneering researcher, but he didn’t realize just how virgin the territory was until he and a team of University of Colorado students began exploring Rocky Mountain Muslim communities.
Videos (links are directly to media sources’ websites)
February 7, 2011 – Russian Television
Russian TV: CrossTalk: Al-world
Should the West cry foul over a growing number of Muslims? Recent data show that in the U.S. alone, the Muslim population will double by 2030.
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