In a significant moment for the global religious landscape, Islam has now surpassed the remarkable milestone of two billion followers.

With an estimated 2,007,000,000-plus worshippers at the end of April 2023, Muslims now represent more than 25 percent of the world’s population, solidifying Islam as the second-largest religion worldwide, second only to Christianity (31 percent approximately).

This achievement highlights the profound growth and influence of Islam as it continues to expand its reach across every continent.

A report by the Pew Research Center in 2017 projected that Islam would surpass Christianity as the world’s largest religion by 2060, owing to its remarkable expansion, especially over recent decades.

This projection stems from the observation that Muslims are unquestionably the fastest-growing religious group globally.

The report estimated that percentage-wise between 2015 and 2060, the Muslim population would grow more than twice as fast as the overall world population and that furthermore, by the year 2035, babies born to Muslim parents are expected to outnumber those born to Christians.

The growth of the Muslim population is projected to be substantial, with an estimated increase of 70 percent from 1.8 billion in 2015 to nearly 3 billion by 2060.

This growth trajectory is fuelled by various factors, including high birth rates among Muslim communities and the presence of Muslims in every region of the world.

The Asia-Pacific region boasts the highest concentration of Muslims. Indonesia and Pakistan both have around 230 million, followed by India (195 million) and Bangladesh (161 million).

Nigeria and Egypt also both have more than 100 million Muslims each and Iran and Turkey 80 million-plus.

The impact of this (two billion followers) global milestone for Islam is also reflected in religious demographics on a national scale, such as in Australia.

According to the latest Australian Census conducted in 2021, Hinduism emerged as the country’s fastest-growing religion, with a remarkable 55 percent increase.

However, this figure should be taken with a grain of salt as this growth can be primarily attributed to the significant increase in migration numbers from India and Nepal, as well as subsequent intermarrying.

In terms of the actual number of followers, Islam maintains a much higher count, with 813,000 Muslims compared to 684,000 Hindus in Australia as at the time of the most recent Census.

A day rarely passes by that social media doesn’t convey news of multiple Australians converting to Islam and while recent immigration figures may have propelled Hinduism to the position of “Australia’s fastest growing religion”, surely the number one religion in terms of Australians choosing to change their religion has to be Islam.

As an aside, the 2021 Australian Census also unveiled an intriguing trend that challenges the dominance of Christianity in Australia.

For the first time, those identifying as Christian dipped below 50 percent, standing at 43.9 percent, with a meagre five-point lead over those reporting no religion.

This shift raises the possibility that “No Religion” may overtake Christianity as Australia’s primary affiliation in the next Census, slated for 2026.

While this transition might appear remarkable, it is a testament to the evolving religious landscape and changing beliefs within society.

It is important to emphasise that statistics should be interpreted with caution, as the great American writer Mark Twain famously remarked, “lies, all damn lies and statistics.”

However, statistics do provide insights into the religious landscape and prompt reflection on the diverse religious affiliations within a nation.

Islam’s achievement of surpassing two billion followers is a momentous milestone in religious history.

Its rapid growth and expanding influence globally make it a formidable force within the world’s religious landscape.

The projections above-mentioned, backed by the recent religious statistics in western countries including Australia, indicate that Islam has the potential to surpass Christianity as the world’s largest religion by 2060.

Indeed, if recent trends continue, a changing of the guard with regard to the number one position seems little more than a formality.