The Muslim population in the United States will more than double in the next 20 years and the Muslim population worldwide will grow at double the rate of non-Muslims. Nonetheless, the Future of the Global Muslim Population study does not predict dramatic demographic shifts,
The Washington Post reports.
The study conducted by the Pew Research Center and the John Templeton Foundation predicted that the current U.S. Muslim population of 2.6 million will grow to 6.2 million by 2030. The study also found that in France and Belgium the Muslim population will top 10 percent, the Post said.
Despite such growth, Muslim populations are predicted to remain relatively stable. The study projected that Muslims will make up 26.4 percent of the world’s population in 2030 up just three percentage points. In Europe, where Muslims make up 2.7 percent of the population, the number is predicted to remain the same, the Post said.
The director of the Initiative in Population Research at Ohio State University, John Casterline, said there are political implications in the study. He noted that the Muslim population in Israel was projected to reach 23 percent in 2030.