It was estimated that by 2050, India's Muslim population would grow by 76 percent compared to 2010. For followers of the Hindu faith, this change stood at 33 percent. According to this projection, the south Asian country would be home not just to the world's majority of Hindus, but also Muslims by this time period. Regardless, the latter would continue to remain a minority within the country at 18 percent, with 77 percent or 1.3 billion Hindus at the forefront by 2050.

The statistic shows the total population of India from 2019 to 2029. In 2023, the estimated total population in India amounted to approximately 1.43 billion people.

Total population in India

India currently has the second-largest population in the world and is projected to overtake top-ranking China within forty years. Its residents comprise more than one-seventh of the entire world’s population, and despite a slowly decreasing fertility rate (which still exceeds the replacement rate and keeps the median age of the population relatively low), an increasing life expectancy adds to an expanding population. In comparison with other countries whose populations are decreasing, such as Japan, India has a relatively small share of aged population, which indicates the probability of lower death rates and higher retention of the existing population.

With a land mass of less than half that of the United States and a population almost four times greater, India has recognized potential problems of its growing population. Government attempts to implement family planning programs have achieved varying degrees of success. Initiatives such as sterilization programs in the 1970s have been blamed for creating general antipathy to family planning, but the combined efforts of various family planning and contraception programs have helped halve fertility rates since the 1960s. The population growth rate has correspondingly shrunk as well, but has not yet reached less than one percent growth per year.

As home to thousands of ethnic groups, hundreds of languages, and numerous religions, a cohesive and broadly-supported effort to reduce population growth is difficult to create. Despite that, India is one country to watch in coming years. It is also a growing economic power; among other measures, its GDP per capita was expected to triple between 2003 and 2013 and was listed as the third-ranked country for its share of the global gross domestic product.

Census: Population: by Religion: Muslim: Uttarakhand data was reported at 1,406,825.000 Person in 03-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,012,141.000 Person for 03-01-2001. Census: Population: by Religion: Muslim: Uttarakhand data is updated decadal, averaging 1,209,483.000 Person from Mar 2001 (Median) to 03-01-2011, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,406,825.000 Person in 03-01-2011 and a record low of 1,012,141.000 Person in 03-01-2001. Census: Population: by Religion: Muslim: Uttarakhand data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAE003: Census: Population: by Religion: Muslim.

Census: Population: by Religion: Hindu: Arunachal Pradesh: Male data was reported at 225,172.000 Person in 03-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 217,195.000 Person for 03-01-2001. Census: Population: by Religion: Hindu: Arunachal Pradesh: Male data is updated decadal, averaging 221,183.500 Person from Mar 2001 (Median) to 03-01-2011, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 225,172.000 Person in 03-01-2011 and a record low of 217,195.000 Person in 03-01-2001. Census: Population: by Religion: Hindu: Arunachal Pradesh: Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAE002: Census: Population: by Religion: Hindu.

Census: Population: by Religion: Muslim: Himachal Pradesh data was reported at 149,881.000 Person in 03-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 119,512.000 Person for 03-01-2001. Census: Population: by Religion: Muslim: Himachal Pradesh data is updated decadal, averaging 134,696.500 Person from Mar 2001 (Median) to 03-01-2011, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 149,881.000 Person in 03-01-2011 and a record low of 119,512.000 Person in 03-01-2001. Census: Population: by Religion: Muslim: Himachal Pradesh data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAE003: Census: Population: by Religion: Muslim.

Census: Population: by Religion: Sikh: Delhi data was reported at 570,581.000 Person in 03-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 555,602.000 Person for 03-01-2001. Census: Population: by Religion: Sikh: Delhi data is updated decadal, averaging 563,091.500 Person from Mar 2001 (Median) to 03-01-2011, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 570,581.000 Person in 03-01-2011 and a record low of 555,602.000 Person in 03-01-2001. Census: Population: by Religion: Sikh: Delhi data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAE005: Census: Population: by Religion: Sikh.

Census: Population: by Religion: Muslim: Gujarat data was reported at 5,846,761.000 Person in 03-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 4,592,854.000 Person for 03-01-2001. Census: Population: by Religion: Muslim: Gujarat data is updated decadal, averaging 5,219,807.500 Person from Mar 2001 (Median) to 03-01-2011, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5,846,761.000 Person in 03-01-2011 and a record low of 4,592,854.000 Person in 03-01-2001. Census: Population: by Religion: Muslim: Gujarat data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAE003: Census: Population: by Religion: Muslim.

Census: Population: by Religion: Christian: Tamil Nadu data was reported at 4,418,331.000 Person in 03-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 3,785,060.000 Person for 03-01-2001. Census: Population: by Religion: Christian: Tamil Nadu data is updated decadal, averaging 4,101,695.500 Person from Mar 2001 (Median) to 03-01-2011, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4,418,331.000 Person in 03-01-2011 and a record low of 3,785,060.000 Person in 03-01-2001. Census: Population: by Religion: Christian: Tamil Nadu data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAE004: Census: Population: by Religion: Christian.

In 1800, the population of the region of present-day India was approximately 169 million. The population would grow gradually throughout the 19th century, rising to over 240 million by 1900. Population growth would begin to increase in the 1920s, as a result of falling mortality rates, due to improvements in health, sanitation and infrastructure. However, the population of India would see it’s largest rate of growth in the years following the country’s independence from the British Empire in 1948, where the population would rise from 358 million to over one billion by the turn of the century, making India the second country to pass the billion person milestone. While the rate of growth has slowed somewhat as India begins a demographics shift, the country’s population has continued to grow dramatically throughout the 21st century, and in 2020, India is estimated to have a population of just under 1.4 billion, well over a billion more people than one century previously. Today, approximately 18% of the Earth’s population lives in India, and it is estimated that India will overtake China to become the most populous country in the world within the next five years.

In 2020, Indonesia recorded the largest population of Muslims worldwide, with around 239 million. This was followed with around 226.88 million Muslims in Pakistan and 213 million Muslims in India.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Malegaon, India metro area from 1950 to 2025.

India's cattle inventory amounted to about 308 million in 2023. In comparison, the global cattle population stood at over one billion, India had the highest cattle population followed by Brazil, China and the United States that year.

Where are cattle bred in India?

As one of the leading dairy producers and consumers worldwide, cattle in the south Asian country were bred mainly in the rural areas. However, its population was spread unevenly across the vast land. Uttar Pradesh ranked first in terms of milk production, followed by Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh in 2023.

Contextualizing the holiness of the Indian cow Considered a sacred animal by Hindus in India, the cow is associated with several gods and goddesses. This deep religious and cultural significance has led to communal tensions. In 2014, the government established the Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM) to conserve and develop indigenous breeds of cows and buffaloes. While the general goal was well-received, it aligns with the underlying Hindu nationalist narrative of the current government.

As of June 2024, there were around 3.09 million ethnic Chinese residents in Singapore. Singapore is a multi-ethnic society, with residents categorized into four main racial groups: Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Others. Each resident is assigned a racial category that follows the paternal side. This categorization would have an impact on both official as well as private matters. Modelling a peaceful, multi-ethnic society The racial categorization used in Singapore stemmed from its colonial past and continues to shape its social policies, from public housing quotas along the ethnic composition in the country to education policies pertaining second language, or ‘mother tongue’, instruction. Despite the emphasis on ethnicity and race, Singapore has managed to maintain a peaceful co-existence among its diverse population. Most Singaporeans across ethnic levels view the level of racial and religious harmony there to be moderately high. The level of acceptance and comfort with having people of other ethnicities in their social lives was also relatively high across the different ethnic groups. Are Singaporeans ready to move away from the CMIO model of ethnic classification? In recent times, however, there has been more open discussion on racism and the relevance of the CMIO (Chinese, Malay, Indian, Others) ethnic model for Singaporean society. The global discourse on racism has brought to attention the latent discrimination felt by the minority ethnic groups in Singapore, such as in the workplace. In 2010, Singapore introduced the option of having a ‘double-barreled’ race classification, reflecting the increasingly diverse and complicated ethnic background of its population. More than a decade later, there have been calls to do away from such racial classifications altogether. However, with social identity and policy deeply entrenched along these lines, it would be a challenge to move beyond race in Singapore.

As of July 2024, 70.4 percent of the Malaysian population were classified as Bumiputera, 22.4 percent were classified as ethnic Chinese, and 6.5 percent as ethnic Indians. Those who do not fall under these three main ethnic groups are classified as ‘Other’. Malaysia is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society with three main ethnicities and language groups. Who are Malaysia’s Bumiputera? Bumiputera, meaning sons of the soil, is a term used to categorize the Malays, as well as the indigenous peoples of Peninsular Malaysia, also known as orang asli, and the indigenous peoples of Sabah and Sarawak. As of July 2023, the Bumiputera share of the population in Sabah was 89 percent, while that in Sarawak was 76.1 percent. Thus, the incorporation of the states of Sabah and Sarawak during the formation of Malaysia ensured that the ethnic Malays were able to maintain a majority share of the Malaysian population. Bumiputera privileges and ethnic-based politics The rights and privileges of the Malays and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak are enshrined in Article 153 of Malaysia’s constitution. This translated, in practice, to a policy of affirmative action to improve the economic situation of this particular group, through the New Economic Policy introduced in 1971. 50 years on, it is questionable whether the policy has achieved its aim. Bumiputeras still lag behind the other ethnic two major groups in terms of monthly household income. However, re-thinking this policy will certainly be met by opposition from those who have benefitted from it.

As of June 2024, the population of Malay Singaporeans between the ages of 30 to 34 years stood at just under 50,000. Singapore is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society. Residents are categorized under four different ethnic groups under the CMIO rubric: Chinese, Malay, Indian and Other ethnicities.