Highest Decline In Fertility Rate Among Muslims: Population Foundation Of India
Population growth rates are not linked to religion and the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) among all religious groups is declining, with the highest decrease observed among Muslims, NGO Population Foundation of India has said amid a debate over the increase in the population of minorities in India.
According to a recent working paper compiled by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM), the share of the Hindu population decreased by 7. 82 per cent between 1950 and 2015 in India, while that of Muslims increased by 43. 15 per cent, suggesting that there is a conducive environment in the country to foster diversity.
The study led to a slugfest among political parties, with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleging that the “appeasement politics” of the Congress-led to the increase in the population of Muslims in the country.
In a statement, the Population Foundation of India said it is deeply concerned about recent media reports “misreporting” the findings from the study to spread alarm regarding the growth of the Muslim population in the country.
“The study’s focus on changes in the share of majority and minority religious groups globally over a 65-year period should not be used to incite fear or discrimination against any community,” it said.
According to census figures, the decadal growth rate for Muslims has been declining over the past three decades.
Specifically, the decadal growth rate for Muslims decreased from 32. 9 per cent in 1981-1991 to 24. 6 per cent in 2001-2011.
“This decline is more pronounced than that of Hindus, whose growth rate fell from 22. 7 to 16. 8 per cent over the same period,” the NGO said.
The census data is available from 1951 to 2011 and is quite similar to the data in this study, indicating that these numbers are not new, the organisation said.
Noting that the TFR among all religious groups is declining, it said the highest decrease in the TFR from 2005-06 to 2019-21 was observed among Muslims, which dropped by 1 percentage point, followed by Hindus at 0. 7 percentage points.
“This trend underscores that the fertility rates are converging across different religious communities,” it said.
