Muslim population in Indian states, percentage as per Census 2011 report on religions: UP, West Bengal, Bihar have largest Muslim concentration

The population of Muslims in India is slightly more than 14.2%. The last census was conducted in 2011 but the figures about religions were not disclosed till as late as 2015.

There is lot of confusion about figures of Muslims in Indian states. The reason is that various reports are cited including estimates of United States (US) agencies and other international organisations like PEW group.

Also, there is a trend of 'exaggeration' among sections of Muslims, which creates misconceptions. We must know the figures as per the census report. Here is the Muslim population in different states as per the government of India's official figures.

Muslim population is highest in Uttar Pradesh, which is home to 3.84 crore Muslims but they account for nearly 19.5% of the population of the state, followed by West Bengal,  Bihar, Maharashtra, Assam and Kerala.

The percentage of Muslims is highest in Jammu-Kashmir among big states and in Lakshadwip among the union territories. These are figures as per census 2011, and the current figure would be slightly high. The next census will take place in 2021.

State                                         Muslim population [Figures as per Census 2011]

Uttar Pradesh                            3.84 crore
West Bengal                              2.46 crore
Bihar                                        1.75 crore
Maharashtra                              1.29 crore
Assam                                      1.06 crore


Kerala                                        88 lakh
Jammu and Kashmir                    85 lakh
*Andhra Pradesh+Telangana        81 lakh
Karnataka                                  78 lakh
Rajasthan                                   62 lakh


Gujarat                                       58 lakh
Madhya Pradesh                          47.7 lakh
Jharkhand                                   47 lakh
Tamil Nadu                                 42.5 lakh
Delhi                                          21.5 lakh

Haryana                                       17.8 lakh
Uttarakhand                                 14 lakh
Odisha                                         9.1 lakh
Punjab                                         5.26 lakh
Chhattisgarh                                5.1 lakh

[Lakshadweep has a small population, just 64,000, but it is predominantly Muslim]    

OVERALL POPULATION OF INDIA: POPULATION OF ADHERENTS OF DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN INDIA [Number of followers of each faith, percentage]

India's population: 121.09 crore [1.21 billion]
Hindus    96.63 crore   (79.8%)
Muslims  17.22 crore   (14.2%)
Christian 2.78 crores (2.3 per cent)
Sikh 2.08 crores (1.7 per cent)
Buddhist 84 lakh (0.7 per cent)
Jain 45 lakh (0.4 per cent)
Other religions and persuasions (ORP) 0.79 crores (0.7 per cent) 
Religion not stated 0.29 crores (0.2 per cent)

BIG FIVE STATES: Maximum Muslim population is in these states

The big five are UP, WB, Bihar, Maharashtra and Assam--each having more than 1 crore or 10 million Muslims. The states that have 5-10 million Muslims include Kerala, Jammu Kashmir, Karnataka, Rajasthan.

Then comes, the states that have 20-50 lakh Muslims [2-5 million]. They include Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Delhi. Next come, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Punjab and Tripura.

But even states like Haryana, Orissa (now Odisha) and Punjab that have lesser Muslims, often have cities, towns and regions that have a strong Muslim concentration or Muslim dominated pockets where the impact of Muslims on local culture is quite visible.                

The states and union territories that come later in the list include Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Manipur, Meghalaya, Goa, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Andaman Nicobar, Daman and Diu, Dadra Nagar Haveli, Chandigarh et al.

[*Jointly, Andhra Pradesh+Telangana, population in Census 2011 was 8.45 crore, which meant there were 81 lakh Muslims (9.6%). Andhra is a bigger state in terms of population but has less Muslim percent. Telangana has a higher Muslim population than Andhra. After bifurcation, the religious population hasn't been officially known for both states].

Eyes on Muslim population in Bihar: Will 1.75 crore Muslims tilt the balance in 2015 Assembly election?

As the crucial election for Bihar assembly approaches, the focus is on the Muslim electorate in the state.

The question is will Bihar Muslims solidly support the Nitish Kumar-led JDU-RJD coalition.

Or will Asaduddin Owaisi's entry into the state would lead to polarisation on communal lines.

Owaisi has targeted Seemanchal, a backward region that has a huge Muslim population, for his rally.

MIM's entry has energised a section of Muslim youth. There is a chance that in Seemanchal, there will be an affect on JDU-RJD's prospects because of Majlis. The possibility is that it will not only divide Muslim but will also lead to consolidation of BJP's core vote?


Bihar has over 1.75 crore Muslims, accounting for 17% population in State

Bihar has the third highest population of Muslims in the country, after Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Bengal (in numbers, not percentage). While UP has over 4 crore Muslims and Bengal has 2.45 crore Muslims.

As per 2011 census, population of  Bihar was 10.41 crore. The percentage of Muslims as per the latest census (religious figures released only a few months ago), the percentage was around 16.9 (roughly 17).

Till now, it was believed that Muslims would vote en bloc for the RJD-JDU-Congress coalition.

Hence, it was felt that their vote would not be divided unlike past when minorities' votes were divided between Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal.

But, jointly, JDU-RJD-Congress have a support of over 50% electorate--at least, on paper.

It gives them the edge, as reflected in opinion polls too. However, the coming few weeks would determine if the 'secular forces' would take off or lose steam.

The BJP campaign is led by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is using his oratory and his tested skills to capture the imagination of the Biharis. A few more weeks and we will find out whom Bihar electorate hand over reins of the State.

RSS wants Hindus to have more children: Shouldn't Sangh leaders take up real issues like female foeticide rather than perpetuating old myths?

Once again the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh [RSS] has urged Hindus that more children should be produced, in order to check the demographic imbalance.

Did anyone call it fatwa or a diktat? How many TV channels found RSS joint secretary Dattatreya Hosbale's comments as controversial?

Has there been strong criticism on editorial pages in mainstream newspapers? This is not the first time that RSS leaders have said that Hindus need to produce more kids.

For them, Hindus are the 'victim'. The bogey of 'Muslim population rise' or 'Ham Panch-Hamare Pachchis' are used by RSS to portray Muslims in bad light.

Not only that the statement aims at driving wedge among religious communities, the fact is that it is truly regressive in nature.

Shouldn't RSS turn itself into a forward looking organisation?

The reason is that if RSS been a forward looking organisation, it would stop looking at things from the Hindu Vs Muslim. In that case it should have urged middle-class Indians [mostly Hindus] to stop female foeticide [and infanticide] to control the fascination for 'baby boy'.

It is this gender imbalance that is really threatening Hinduism [and India]. There are vast regions where there are less than 800 girls for 1,000 boys. Even the upper class and middle-class want the 'baby boy'. If the first child is a girl, many go for second, in the hope to have a boy.

This 'sickness' needs to be fought. Strangely, RSS leaders never tell their followers how Hinduism has been growing much faster over the last century in the world. While Islam has grown fast after 1900, overall population of Hindus in the world, has also gone up significantly, even as Christianity and other religions have now lost the pace.

As far as rise in Muslim population in India is concerned, it is not a very unusual phenomenon. The minority [Muslim] rate of growth is quite close to Dalits. Clearly, economic reasons and social backwardness are the cause behind the high birthrate.

Muslim growth rate in Kerala, Tamil Nadu much less than in UP, Bihar

In states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Muslims have a growth rate of much less than 20% per decade, which is less than the growth rate of Hindu population in India in many other states of North India.

UP and Bihar have overall bigger families. No wonder, fertility rates are higher among Muslims in these states.

Secondly, there is no open opposition to family planning among Muslims, and they have adopted it widely.

As Muslims go up on socio-economic indicators, they also tend to have smaller families, just like rest of the Indians.

As per 2001 census, the overall population grew by 21.5% in India in the previous decade. Muslim decadal population grew by a mere 13.7% in Tamil Nadu and 15.8% in Kerala [from 1991 to 2001].

These states have a higher Muslim literacy rate and here Muslims are financially better-off. In contrast, Hindu population increased by 28.7% in Punjab, 24.7% in Karnataka and 23.4% in Bihar.

How do you explain that? Now there will be critics who would say that if Muslims grew by 13.7% in Tamil Nadu in the decade, the decennial Hindu growth was just 11%.

The problem is that when the Hindu growth rate is seen, they don't take into account the growth rate of backwards and Dalits, whose population growth is comparable to Muslims.

For example, you can't expect to compare Iyers or Iyengars' decadal rise in population with Dalits or even Vanniyars. If you have to at all compare then do it with the socially upward Muslims. Else, consider Muslims also as a social group and then look at them with their growth rate.

The right comparison would be Muslim population rise vis-a-vis increase in population of social groups that have similar earning, living conditions and socio-economic backwardness.Statistics clearly reveal that Muslim population rate is falling in India and would stabilise in a few decades.

The difference of population growth rates is narrowing down fast. Far from becoming majority or even 25%, it will take centuries before they even reach the figure of 20% in India.

Perpetuating old myths: Fact is that Muslims are least polygamous in India

For decades, right-wing groups have made similar claims. Take for example, the charge of polygamy. Census clearly reveals that the practice of polygamy was highest among Adivasis, Jains, Buddhists and Hindus. Muslims came last as far as prevalence of the practice was concerned.

See LINK and LINK. This is despite the fact that polygamy is legal for Muslims and unlawful for Hindus. But this is not highlighted or even mentioned. Tell a lie a thousand times and people tend to believe it. Senior RSS and BJP leaders often make attacks on Muslims about being more polygamous.

In December 2005, the then RSS chief [sarsanghchalak] KS Sudharshan had also urged the majority community in a similar manner. He said that 3-4 children per couple would keep the 'changing religious demography' in control.

Just imagine had any other religious community [like a Muslim cleric from Nadwatul Ulema or Deoband] made such a statement, what would have happened?

There would have been wide condemnation, politicians and activists gunning for him and effigies burnt.

TV channels would have continued debates for days. But in the case of RSS, it was simply ignored even though the 'cultural organisation' has huge impact and has a cadre strength of tens of lakhs.

If the RSS leaders take up real issues that affect the nation, they would be taken more seriously. It may also strike chord with the young generation. However, they remain stuck in regressive rhetoric. Sangh also needs to look at itself.

Shouldn't the swayam-sevaks [volunteers] shun celibacy and marry, in order to increase the numbers of Hindus? Though its their personal issue but I wrote about it as they often find faults with Muslims. Mustn't they also take the blame? Had the RSS workers for several generations [who have been observing celibacy] married and had families, then there would have been lakhs of more Hindus.

Link: Dattatreya Hosbale exhorts Hindus to have more children