THE number of Muslims in the United States is expected to increase from 2.6 million in 2010 to 6.2 million by 2030.
The rise will in large part be because of immigration and higher-than-average fertility among Muslims, according to a study.
According to Pew Research, the Muslim share of the US population (adults and children) is projected to grow from 0.8% in 2010 to 1.7% in 2030. The rise will make Muslims roughly as numerous as Jews or Episcopalians are in the United States today.
“Although several European countries will have substantially higher percentages of Muslims, the United States is projected to have a larger number of Muslims by 2030 than any European country other than Russia and France,” Pew Research reported.
About two-thirds of the Muslims in the US today (64.5%) are first-generation immigrants, while slightly more than a third (35.5%) were born in the U.S. By 2030, however, nearly half of the Muslims in the U.S. (44.9%) are expected to be born here.
The top countries of origin for Muslims in the US are Pakistan and Bangladesh, according to a study by Pew Research Center.
