While many in the West celebrated Christmas and Hanukkah last week, a significant global shift was overlooked. At some point in this century, the number of people celebrating Ramadan will surpass those celebrating Christmas.
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Currently, there are 2.2 billion Christians and 1.97 billion Muslims worldwide. However, due to Muslim’s higher fertility rate (2.9 children per woman on average compared to 2.6 for Christians), Islam is projected to become the world’s dominant religion around 2075, according to Pew Research.
In general, the fertility rate in Europe is 1.49, which is below the replacement level of 2.1. Europe’s population decreased by 1.1 million last year, which is a precursor to a significant shift. The fertility rate for Muslims in Europe is 2.54, indicating that the demographics are shifting in favor of the Muslim population.
It is predicted that by 2085, 13 European countries will have Muslim populations in the majority. This shift is occurring in a previously predominantly Christian continent, and the declining fertility rate among Christians is contributing to the decline of the Christian population in Europe.
Those countries include;
- Cyprus
- Sweden
- France
- Greece
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Italy
- Luxembourg
- UK
- Slovenia
- Switzerland
- Ireland
- Lithuania
