Muslim Population saw sharp rise in these Countries during…, Hindu population…, the countries are….

Population dynamics are an important factor that shapes social, cultural, and political conditions. Whether changes in the number and size of religious groups are involved, they can have significant implications on society and policy in a country. From 2010-2020, the changes to Europe’s religious population have not only been statistically significant, but some have become politically and socially relevant.

According to a report from the Pew Research Center, ‘Religion in Europe’ demonstrates that, during the last ten years, the total Christian population fell almost 8.8% to 505 million. The Jewish population experienced a decline of 8% to 1.3 million. Conversely, nearly all other major demographic groups increased in population. People with no religious affiliation climbed to 190 million from 130 million, growing to 37% of the population.

Surprisingly, the total Muslim population increased to 45510000 from 39280000, a jump of 15.9%.  In other words, Muslims increased to 46 million (up 16%). Europe’s relatively small Hindu population also grew substantially, rising to 2 million (up 30%).

The percentage shares of religious groups in Europe’s total population underwent significant transitions between 2010 and 2020. The most significant change came from religious disaffiliation. There was a decline in the Christian population share to 67% which is a decrease of eight points, whilst the religiously unaffiliated population share increased to 25%, a rise of seven points. Comparatively, the share of every other major religious groups changed by less than one percentage point in the same ten-year period. It was during this time frame that large scale immigration occurred from Muslim-majority societies and public debate was underway about many aspects of immigration with particular emphasis the refugee influx from conflict areas like Syria.

From 2010 to 2020, refugee immigration from Muslim-majority nations like Syria became a leading topic of public debate in Europe. The overall share of Muslims in Europe increased by approximately 1%, and for that reason, Muslims now make up approximately 6% of the overall population. Sweden is where we have seen the largest increase, as the Muslim population doubled — increasing from 4% to 8%. In Albania— which already had a Muslim majority— the share of Muslims increased further by 4%, and finally in Germany, the Muslim share increased by one percent, and now stands at 7%. This increase, in turn, not only includes immigration but also refugee-friendly immigration approaches taken by select countries — some countries – Sweden, for example, has had a larger share of Muslims due to their more liberal immigration approach, as seen in Angela Merkel’s approach in Germany.

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