Religious Demography of Emerging Economies. Age Structures and Fertility in the BRIC Countries and the Global Religious Consequences of Their Economic Growth

Marcin Stonawski, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and Cracow University of Economics
Vegard Skirbekk, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
Michaela Potancokova, Wittgenstein Centre (IIASA, VID/ÖAW, WU)
Conrad Hackett, Pew Research Center
Brian J. Grim, Pew Research Center and Boston University

In spite of the generally large interest in demography of religious communities and the relation between population dynamics and various aspects of socio-economic life, there has until now not been any attempt to collect and estimate religious composition by age and sex as well as differences in fertility for all countries in the world. The aim of this paper is to present current and future religious compositions and fertility differentials by religion in the BRIC countries, and possible implications of demographic change on division of wealth between religious communities in the world. A detailed account of the religious demography of the world by age and sex has for the first time been documented in an ongoing joint project of ACC Project at IIASA and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. These data form the basis for the research in the field associated with religion.