Global Muslim population to rush, says a Survey

In a study that its creators are calling merely demographic, and not political, the Pew Research Centre's forum on religion and public existence in the United States has estimated the global Muslim population will raise by about 35 per cent in the next 20 years, from 1.6 billion worldwide, to approximately 2.2 billion people by 2030.

The report says a bulk will continue to live in the Asia Pacific region (about 60 percent). The best increase is likely in western and northern European countries like Sweden, France, Belgium, Austria and the UK, driven mainly by migration.

Pakistan will beat Indonesia as the largest Muslim country in the world. And India will continue to be home to the third largest Muslim population globally. This may be the first survey of its sort and while it does not reflect dramatic demographic shifts, it is already proving to be controversial for stoking Islamophobia.