There are some Alarmists, the BBS types to be specific, spreading the myth that the Muslim population is exploding and that by 2050, the Muslims will overtake the Sinhala population in Sri Lanka. How realistic is this? Well, as the following figures indicate, the Muslim population between 1881 and 1981 has virtually remained the same, 7.17% in 1981 and 7.56% in 1981 while the Buddhist Population increased from 61.53% in 1881 to 69.30% in 1981.
That means, in a 100 years, Muslims increased by marginally by 0.39%, 0.924 millions in absolute numbers, while the Buddhists increased by 7.77%, a whopping 8.59 millions in absolute numbers.
Now, here are the figures;
Between 1881 and 1981, while the Buddhist population showed almost an 8% increase, Hindus declined by about 6%, Christians by just over 2% and Muslims increased by a mere 0.40% .
The Hindu population was virtually stagnant around 22% till 1931 and started declining afterwards. This is possibly because of the Indian Tamil population leaving Sri Lanka after 1931 when they formed 15.4% of the population to shrink to 5.5% in 1981.
The reduction in Christian population from 09.71% in 1881 to 7.62% is partly explained by the reduction of the Burgher/Eurasian population from 0.65% to 0.27%.
The quite marginal increase of just about 0.40% of the Muslim population in a 100 years speaks for itself and is proof of how hollow is the claim that Muslims multiply much faster than others..
There is a significant change in 2012 in the population of Hindus and Muslims with the former showing a decline of almost 3% while the latter showing an increase of almost 2% with the Buddhists showing an increase of almost 1%.
The explanation for this probably lies in the fact that the war caused not only vast casualties but also migration of the Hindus out of Sri Lanka thus causing a sharp drop.
This change in the composition is reflected in the increase among the Buddhists and Muslims. In spite of the war casualties and possibly a much larger migration out of the country of Buddhists as compared with the Muslims, the Buddhists showed an almost 1% increase ( 3.934 millions in actual numbers) while the Muslims showed an increase of almost 2% (0.846 million in actual numbers).
So, in 130 years to 2012, the Buddhist Population increased by 8.44% while the Muslims increased by 2.54% reflecting a more than 3 fold increase of the Buddhists. If not for the War, which caused a huge drop in the population of the Hindus which helped the Muslim percentage to increase, the Muslim population would probably have remained where it was in 1981, around the 7.5% mark.
So, the claim that the Muslim population is exploding and will overtake the Sinhalese in 3 decades is bereft of any reason or logic. It is just a cheap gimmick by the BBS types to fool the Sinhala people.
That means, in a 100 years, Muslims increased by marginally by 0.39%, 0.924 millions in absolute numbers, while the Buddhists increased by 7.77%, a whopping 8.59 millions in absolute numbers.
Now, here are the figures;
Population of Sri Lanka by religion 1881 to 2012
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Sri_Lanka
Between 1881 and 1981, while the Buddhist population showed almost an 8% increase, Hindus declined by about 6%, Christians by just over 2% and Muslims increased by a mere 0.40% .
The Hindu population was virtually stagnant around 22% till 1931 and started declining afterwards. This is possibly because of the Indian Tamil population leaving Sri Lanka after 1931 when they formed 15.4% of the population to shrink to 5.5% in 1981.
The reduction in Christian population from 09.71% in 1881 to 7.62% is partly explained by the reduction of the Burgher/Eurasian population from 0.65% to 0.27%.
The quite marginal increase of just about 0.40% of the Muslim population in a 100 years speaks for itself and is proof of how hollow is the claim that Muslims multiply much faster than others..
There is a significant change in 2012 in the population of Hindus and Muslims with the former showing a decline of almost 3% while the latter showing an increase of almost 2% with the Buddhists showing an increase of almost 1%.
The explanation for this probably lies in the fact that the war caused not only vast casualties but also migration of the Hindus out of Sri Lanka thus causing a sharp drop.
This change in the composition is reflected in the increase among the Buddhists and Muslims. In spite of the war casualties and possibly a much larger migration out of the country of Buddhists as compared with the Muslims, the Buddhists showed an almost 1% increase ( 3.934 millions in actual numbers) while the Muslims showed an increase of almost 2% (0.846 million in actual numbers).
So, in 130 years to 2012, the Buddhist Population increased by 8.44% while the Muslims increased by 2.54% reflecting a more than 3 fold increase of the Buddhists. If not for the War, which caused a huge drop in the population of the Hindus which helped the Muslim percentage to increase, the Muslim population would probably have remained where it was in 1981, around the 7.5% mark.
So, the claim that the Muslim population is exploding and will overtake the Sinhalese in 3 decades is bereft of any reason or logic. It is just a cheap gimmick by the BBS types to fool the Sinhala people.
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