New Delhi: The Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) recently published a study analyzing changes in the economy religious demographics Demographic statistics by country from 1950 to 2015.
The data from the survey indicates that India’s Hindu followers dipped by 7.81% over 65 years’ time.
The aim of this research is to explain how religious composition changed in different countries over last few decades and provide insights into this important aspect of demographic transition.
According to the report, at least half of all countries experienced significant changes. For instance, more than half of these countries altering their religion were located in Africa with most of them having an animist majority replaced by other religious denominations.
Many OECD nations and India have registered a decrease in the proportion of people who belong to one majority religion, indicating religious diversification. Conversely, there has been an increase in dominant religions in many Muslim-majority states.
India, like many other South Asian countries, has witnessed a significant decline in its majority religious groups as indicated by the report. In earlier times, India was dominated mostly by Hindus but now they comprise fewer numbers compared to several others demonstrating pluralism in religions and cultural values. This trend has been attributed to factors such as changes in population structure, immigration patterns and evolving social political scenarios.
According to the report though not everywhere: all Muslim-majority states except for one became more Islamized while Maldives lost approximately 1.47% Sunnis Shafiites among its citizens during this period.
There were different trends observed among non-Muslim majority countries; Myanmar experienced decline across most population groups; as did India and Nepal.However Sri Lanka and Bhutan saw increased proportions for majoritarian communities.This variation was large ranging between 79% reduction for Myanmar Theravada Buddhists( amounting upto 9.84%) percent change)and plus one eight point five five percent for the Hanafi Muslims in Bangladesh percent (rising from 74% to 88% of the total population).
India: Share hindu population Down 7.82%
The share of Hindus in India’s population declined by 7.82% from 84.68% in 1950 to 78.06 % in 2015 while that of Muslims increased by over two-fifths, rising from9.84% to14.09%.
Among other religions, Christians experienced a slight rise from2.24 % to 2.36%, Sikhs moved up marginally from1.24 % to1.85% and Buddhists increased substantially by approximately sixteenfold, moving from about one twentieth of a percent to close to one percent.
By comparison, the Jain portion dropped down from .45% during the year of independence (1947) until today when it is at .36%. Year.
Here’s What’s Happening to Religious Demographics in Other South Asian Countries
Bengal: Bangladeshi Hindu Population has fallen by two thirds-66%, going down from nearly one forth (23%) as at independence to its present figure of only eight percentage points while Buddhist and Christian populations remained stable or grew somewhat.
Bhutan: Tibetan Buddhism made up roughly three-fourth (72%) back then but has risen sharply hitting eighty fourth now owing perhaps due expulsion Hindus out Nepal during nineties which led half dropoff among this particular faith group.’
Sri Lanka: However, the Buddhist majority rose by 5% from 64% in 1950 to 67% in 2015. The Hindus and Christians, on the other hand, have gone down while Islamists now form the country’s third largest religious group.
Pakistan: In general, there has been a rise in Islamic population that includes Shia and Ahmadis with a simultaneous drop in Hindu population from 13% to 2%, an eightieth decrease for the last sixty five years.
Afghanistan: Even though Afghanistan remained predominately Muslim at about 99.7% of the whole population, Sunni Muslims only increased slightly as Shiites did not change at all between these two years.
Maldives: Among countries with a Muslim majority, Maldives was unique because it experienced a small decline of its Shaf’I Sunni majority by decreasing by only 1.47%, from being 99.8 % to becoming merely98.4%.
Nepal: The Majority Hinduism dropped slightly by just four percent from eighty four percent to eighty one percent while Buddhism also declined significantly but Islam grew significantly.
Myanmar: That said, the Buddhists became fewer by ten percent dropping from eighty four percent to seventy five percent whereas those who worship Christian went up along with aboriginal religion users
