Religions in 2050

 

The Kaaba during Hajj
(Photo by Adli Wahid)

While many are wondering what 2025 has in store, Pew researchers are far ahead of the pack.

In a 2015 report semi-titled “The Future of World Religions,” the following predictions were made for the year 2050:  “The number of Muslims will nearly equal the number of Christians around the world…  Atheists,  agnostics and other people who do not affiliate with any religion - will make up a declining share of the world’s total population…  The global Buddhist population will be about the same size it was in 2010, while the Hindu and Jewish populations will be larger than they are today…  Four out of every 10 Christians in the world will live in sub-Saharan Africa.”

These predictions were based upon a projected continuation of then-current trends.  They are global in nature and may vary within particular countries.  For example, the number of non-religionists are expected to increase within nations such as France and the United States, whereas that number is expected to decrease worldwide.  “Fertility and mortality rates, international migration and patterns in conversion” were also taken into account.

Resources

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2015/04/02/religious-projections-2010-2050/