Do Muslims have more children than others? This is what the available data shows | News explained

Growth of the Muslim population

The population of Muslims was 17.22 crore in the 2011 census, which was 14.2% of India’s population of 121.08 crore at the time.

The population of Muslims in the previous census (2001) was 13.81 crore, which was 13.43% of the population of India (102.8 crore) at the time.

The Muslim population increased by 24.69% between 2001 and 2011. This was the slowest increase in Muslim population in India’s history. Between 1991 and 2001, India’s Muslim population increased by 29.49%.

Average household size among religious groups

According to data from the 68th round of the National Sample Survey (July 2011-June 2012), the average household size of major religious groups was as follows:

Source: Employment and Unemployment Situation among Major Religious Groups in India, NSS 68th Round

Labor force participation rate, employee population ratio, unemployment rate

The labor force participation rate (LFPR) and employee population ratio (WPR) for Muslims are the lowest among all religious groups. According to the National Sample Survey Office (RSZ), it is also the only religious group whose LFPR and WPR are declining. However, the unemployment rate (UR) among Muslims is lower than the all-India figure.

LFPR is defined as the percentage of persons in the labor force (i.e. working, seeking or available for work) in the population. WPR is defined as the percentage of employed persons in the population. UR is the percentage of unemployed people in the labor force.

Source: Annual Report, Periodic Labor Force Survey (PLFS) July 2022-June 2023