Saturday 31 October 2015

India has to resolve growing Hindu- Muslim population controversies

Dr. Devendra Kothari
Population and Development Analyst
Forum for Population Action

If the economy is allowed to develop unimpeded the population issue has to be discussed thoroughly.

Differential population growth and fertility rates by religion are a major political issue in India. Unless it is resolved, it will have serious implications for the socio-economic development. Further, it is argued that the growing demographic imbalances in India should indeed be matter of serious concern as they seem to have serious repercussions on the very survival of the “Indian civilization”[1]. There is a widespread feeling that the main cause of population explosion in India is due to the   higher fertility among Muslims as compared to other religious groups, especially Hindus.  This post discusses the issue and provides facts/information for rational analysis and conclusions.[2]
India is home to many religions and cultures in the world. Various religions like Hinduism apart from Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism started in India. With around 80 per cent of India's population, Hinduism is the most dominant religion in India. Islam is the second most dominant religion in the country with 14 per cent Muslim population. Jain, Sikhs and Christians are also present in the country but in a very small proportions and their share is declining or stable. The Hindus are present in almost every nook and corner of the country. On the other hand, the Muslims are mainly concentrated in the States of Jammu & Kashmir, Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa and Karnataka.

Although the census might say that India contains a majority of persons who describe themselves as Hindu, it remains a constitutionally secular republic which does not officially recognize any religious identity as a defining characteristic of an Indian.  However, Census data on demographic transition shows a journey split on religion lines. According to the 2011 Census data on Population by Religious Communities, the share of Hindus in the population came down marginally from 80.5 per cent in 2001 to 79.8 per cent in 2011. In 2001, Muslims constituted 13.4 per cent % of the country’s population; this went up marginally to 14.2 per cent (Table 1).  In absolute numbers, the Hindu population increased by 139 million during 2001-11; the Muslim population increased by 34 million. The share of other religious groups like Sikhs and Christians in the total population remained steady at a little over 2 per cent each, roughly in the same range as in the 2001 census (Table1).


 Table 1: Trends in Indian population by religious groups, 1991-2011
Religious group
Percentage of total population
Decadal growth in per cent
1
2
3
4
5
6


1991
2001
2011
1981-91
1991-01
2001-11
Hindus
81.5
80.5
79.8
22.7
19.9
16.8
Muslims
12.6
13.4
14.2
32,9
29.3
24.6
Christians
2.3
2.3
2.3
17.7
22.5
15.5
Sikhs
1.9
1.9
1.7
25.5
16.9
08.4
Buddhists
0.8
0.8
0.7
36.1
22.8
06.1
Jains
04
0.4
0.4
04.1
25.9
05.4
Others
0.4
0.7
0.9
04.1
25.9
05.4
Total
100.0
100.0
100.0
23.9
21.5
17.7

To be concluded....



[1] For details, see: “A note on the growing demographic imbalances in the Indian subcontinent” by Dr. M.D. Srinivas, Centre for Policy Studies, Chennai, 1999.

[2] Refer my earlier post:”Growing Population in India and Islam: Some Facts” at http://kotharionindia.blogspot.in/2011/09/growing-population-in-india-and-islam.html .