Share of Religious Minorities, PM-EAC report

Context

Recently, The Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) published a study that analyzed the shifts in religious demographics in India, Hindu population share dipped 7.82%, while that of Christians, Muslims, Sikhs has seen a rise in the 65-year period between 1950 and 2015.

Key highlights of the report ‘Share of Religious Minorities: A Cross Country Analysis

The Study focused on only those countries (around 167) that had a majority religion (more than 50 percent share of the total population) for 1950.

• The Share of Religious Minorities report analysis relied on the Religious Characteristics of States Dataset 2017 to track religious composition across countries.

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Global Finding: Between 1950 and 2015, 

• Indication of Greater religious heterogeneity: The global average for the share of the majority religious denomination in 1950 was 75%. 
  • By 2015, this figure had decreased by approximately 22%.
  • Countries like India and several OECD nations have also seen declines in their majority religious shares.
    • Decline of Roman Catholics in OECD Countries: Data from Of 35 OECD countries studied, 25 were from Europe, and the share of majority religious denominations( Roman Catholics) has decreased by 29 per cent in these countries.
  • In contrast, many Muslim-majority countries have seen an increase in the share of their dominant religious groups.
• Changes in Africa: In 1950, animism or native religion was the dominant faith in 24 African countries. 
• • However, by 2015, none of these 24 countries retained a majority adherent to these indigenous religions. 
• Changes in South Asia:  In the South Asian region, there’s a contrasting trend where the majority religious group is increasing in dominance. 
  • However, minority populations have experienced significant declines in countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Afghanistan.

Finding About India, Between 1950 and 2015, 

• • Hindu Population: the Hindu population in India decreased by 7.82%. 
• Muslim Population: the Muslim population in India increased by 43.15%, indicating an environment conducive to religious diversity. 
• Christian Population : The Christian population in India saw a modest rise from 2.24% to 2.36%, reflecting a 5.38% increase. 
• Sikh Population: the Sikh community experienced a rise in its share, increasing from 1.24% to 1.85% , reflecting  a 6.58% increase. 
• Parsi Population : Contrary to the overall trend, the Parsi population in India witnessed a significant decline of 85%, decreasing from 0.03% in 1950 to 0.004% in 2015.
• Jain Population: The share of Jains declined from 0.45 per cent to 0.36 per cent.
• It said the total fertility rate (TFR) among all religious groups was declining and the 
• The highest decrease in TFR from 2005-06 to 2019-21 was observed among Muslims, a 1 percentage point drop in their TFR. 
• Hindus saw a 0.7 percentage point drop.

Implications of Report:

• The report implies that demographic shifts in India signal a favorable environment for diversity. 
  • India’s inclusive policies have fostered diversity, evident in the growing number of minority populations without pinpointing specific causes. 
• It underscores the significance of defining and safeguarding minority rights, citing India’s relative success compared to neighboring countries.

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