Share of majority population declined in India, rose in neighbouring nations like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka: Study

All Muslim-majority nations in the Indian subcontinent, except Maldives, saw a rise in the share of their majority population between 1950 and 2015 while India witnessed a drop in the share of its majority Hindu population during the same period, a recent study has revealed.

According to the working paper titled “Share of Religious Minorities: A Cross-Country Analysis”, there has been a notable decline in the share of minority populations in countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh. Conversely, India has experienced an increase in its minority population share, attributed largely to its “nourishing environment” and “progressive policies”.

“India’s performance suggests that there is a conducive environment to foster diversity in the society. It is not possible to promote better life outcomes for the disadvantaged sections of society without providing a nurturing environment and societal support through a bottom-up approach,” stated the paper.

Majoritytable

In Maldives, the share of the majority group (Shafi’i Sunnis) declined by 1.47 per cent. However, Bangladesh witnessed the largest hike in the Indian subcontinent at 18 per cent. Pakistan witnessed an increase of 3.75 percent in the share of the majority religious denomination (Hanafi Muslim) and a 10 percent increase in the share of total Muslim population despite the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. Nepal witnessed an approximately 4 percent decrease in the share of its majority Hindu population while the share of the Buddhist population in Myanmar declined by 10 percent.

According to the paper in India, the share of the majority Hindu population decreased by 7.82 percent (from 84.68 percent to 78.06 percent). Meanwhile, the share of Muslim population in 1950 was 9.84 percent and increased to 14.09 percent in 2015. “India is one of the few countries which has a legal definition of minorities and provides constitutionally protected rights for them,” stated the paper.

The paper also cited how minority populations from across the neighbouring countries come to India during times of duress. “India has been a nourishing environment for the Tibetan Buddhists who had to escape from China and have found a comfortable home in India in the last six decades…Bangladesh have been assimilated into Indian society. India also hosts a significant population of refugees from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Myanmar and Afghanistan.,” the paper stated.

According to the paper, the Indian subcontinent comprises one-fifth of the global population and merits separate analysis given its geopolitical significance and the importance of its performance in the fulfillment of UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.