Pew: Islam will be largest religion in world by 2070
11:59, 02/03/2017, ThursdayU: Update: 12:09, 02/03/2017, Thursday
Yeni Şafak
Muslim populations are made up of a larger percentage of youths compared to other religions. Thirty-four percent of the Muslim population is below 15 years old, compared to the global average of 27 percent.
Islam estimated to be the largest in the world by 2070 as number of Muslim people is increasing faster than the world's population, according to research of US-based Pew Research Center
A United States-based Pew Research Center study from April 2015 has predicted that the world's Muslim population will grow by 73 percent between 2010 and 2050, making Islam the fastest-growing religion.
The world's population will grow by 37 percent over the same period. If those rates of growth continue past 2050, the number of Muslims will be more than that of Christians by 2070, according to the study.
The analysis also concluded that the expected rise in the number of Muslims is due to Muslim communities' high fertility rate.
Another significant factor that Muslim populations are made up of a larger percentage of youths compared to other religions. Thirty-four percent of the Muslim population is below 15 years old, compared to the global average of 27 percent.
The study also predicts that atheists, agnostics and other non-religious people will decline from 16.4 percent of the world's population to 13.2 by 2050.
Christianity is also likely see a decline as more people leave the faith to become non-religious or to join other religions.
Hungary, Italy, Poland, Greece more hostile to Islam
Around 40 million people are projected to switch into Christianity globally, while 106 million are predicted to switch out.
The report also summarizes findings from a survey last year into European attitudes toward Muslims.
"Majorities in Hungary, Italy, Poland and Greece say they view Muslims unfavorably, while negative attitudes toward Muslims are much less common in France, Germany, the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Northern and Western Europe.
'More than half of Europe against Muslim'
A previous study conducted by the London-based think tank Chatham House found that 55 percentage of the Europeans surveyed do not want Muslim immigration, in another sign of increasing Islamophobia in Europe.
The think tank asked 10,000 people from 10 European countries to evaluate the following statement: “All further immigration from mainly Muslim countries should be stopped," with which 55 percent of respondents agreed.
Twenty percent of participants rejected curbing Muslim immigration and 25 percent were neutral.