Muslim Population Growth Rates: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Religion distribution.jpg|right|300px|thumb|A map of the world, showing the major religions distributed in the world today (Pew, Dec 18, 2012).]]
[[File:Religion distribution.jpg|right|300px|thumb|A map of the world, showing the major religions distributed in the world today (Pew, Dec 18, 2012).]]Islam is often heralded in popular media as the fastest growing religion in the world. In certain distinct measures, this is correct. In most Muslim-majority countries, birthrates are exceptionally high. This is due to the economic underdevelopment of these regions and exceptionally low rates of female education and empowerment - both well-established factors predicting increased birthrates. In West, where Muslims frequently comprise significant minority populations, birthrates among Muslims are nearer to national averages of the countries in which they reside. Still, in these Western countries, Muslim minorities are often the fastest growing minority populations. This growth rate, however, is overwhelmingly due to immigration rates rather than birthrates.
This article analyzes the claim that [[Islam]] is the "fastest growing religion" in the world.
==Introduction==


Many have claimed that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. Countless falsely attributed and unattributed quotations circle the Muslim social media-sphere to this effect.
While the variety of individual religious-change greatest in both magnitude and rate of increase is that of leaving religion altogether, both in most of the worlds countries and across the globe altogether, Islam does hold the superlative titles of highest birthrates in some regions and highest immigration-rate in others. Indeed, a number of surveys suggest that in countries where a tangible number of people convert to Islam, the majority of these converts ultimately apostatize - however, these particular findings are not conclusive.
 
Prominent media outlets such as CNN World News have likewise participated in the circulation of this myth, at one point posting about a "Fast-growing Islam winning converts in Western world" without providing reference.
 
The actual data available reveals that Islam is neither the fastest growing religion by number of adherents or the fastest growing religion by percentage-increase. The growing number of Muslims in the world is due primarily to the higher than average birth-rates, and consequent population growths of Muslim countries and communities. And their growing presence in non-Muslim societies such as Europe and the Americas is overwhelmingly due to immigration.
 
Furthermore, converts to Islam are vastly outnumbered by those who choose to leave the religion and embrace another faith or worldview. And the majority of converts that Islam does manage to attract, decide to leave within the first few years of practicing it.  


==Analysis==
==Analysis==
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