Religious Composition of India

22 September 2021

Dr. Sriya Iyer has given expert advice to a new Pew Research Center report saying all religious groups in India show major declines in fertility rates, limiting change in the country’s religious composition over time.



Today, the average Indian woman is expected to have 2.2 children in her lifetime, a fertility rate that is higher than rates in many economically advanced countries like the United States (1.6) but much lower than the historical norm in India.

Over the decades, population growth rates have slowed considerably – overall and among Muslims in particular – however, every religious group in the country has seen its fertility fall.