Islam will be the fastest growing religion in the world over the next four decades but Christians will remain the largest group in 2050, the report reveals. Pope Francis is pictured in Tirana, Albania last year
Islam will become America's second-largest religion by 2050 according to a report outlining the world's religious landscape 35 years from now.The number of Christians in the US will decline from three quarters of the population in 2010 to just two thirds in 2050, researchers claim.
Statistics revealed by the Pew Research Center show the percentage of atheists across the globe is expected to fall across the same time frame while Muslims will outnumber Christians by 2070.
By 2050, there will be 2.8billion Muslims and 2.9billion Christians, researchers have predicted (file picture)
Research shows that although Islam will be the fastest growing religion in the world over the next four decades, Christians will remain the largest group in 2050. At the same time, those who do not affiliate with any religion, including atheists and agnostics, will make up a 'declining share of the world's population' - even if their numbers are increasing in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and France.
Changing landscape: This graphic, taken from the map above, shows how the percentage of those that consider themselves religiously unaffiliated is expected to increase in the West 35 years from now
The global Buddhist population will remain roughly the same but Hindu and Jewish populations will be larger than they are today, according to the report.
It reveals that five years ago, there were 2.2billion Christians in the world making it 'by far' the world's largest religion with Islam second with 1.6billion out of a global population of 6.9billion.
By 2050, there will be 2.8billion Muslims and 2.9billion Christians, it is estimated.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the report suggests the increase in Muslim populations could be put down to the fact those following the faith are younger while infant mortality rates are decreasing.
Meanwhile, a number of countries are expected to have changing religious majorities in four decades.
Christians are projected to fall below 50 per cent the population in the United Kingdom, Australia, Benin, Bosnia-Herzegovina, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the Republic of Macedonia.
