NEW DELHI: The Muslim community has registered a 0.8 per cent growth to touch 17.22 crore in the 10-year period between 2001 and 2011, while the Hindu population showed a decline of 0.7 per cent during the period, according to the latest census data on religion.
A comparison of the increase in population percentage in 2011 over the 2001 figures shows that in Assam, the Hindu population rose by 11 per cent and Muslims by 29.5 per cent. In case of West Bengal, Hindus grew by 10.8 per cent and Muslims by 22 per cent. In poll-bound Bihar, Hindus grew by 24 per cent, while Muslims by 28 per cent. In Uttar Pradesh, Muslims grew by 29.19 per cent between 2001 and 2011, while Hindus grew by 18.90 per cent.
In the case of other religious minorities, the proportion of Sikh population declined by 0.2 percentage point (PP), Buddhist population by 0.1 PP during 2001-2011. No significant change was witnessed in the proportion of Christians and Jains, according to the data released by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner. According to the cen sus data, the growth rate of population in 2001-2011 was 17.7 per cent.
The growth rate of population of different religious communities in the same period was Hindus - 16.8 per cent; Muslims - 24.6 per cent; Christians - 15.5 per cent; Sikhs - 8.4 per cent; Buddhists - 6.1 per cent and Jains - 5.4 per cent.