Govt. debunks claims that Muslims are the majority

In the light of certain controversial groups claiming that the Muslim population in Sri Lanka had increased drastically, the Department of Census and Statistics yesterday revealed that the Muslim population had actually grown only slightly during the period 1981 to 2012.

Director of the Population Census and Demography Division of the Department, Indu Bandara, said that the claim that the Muslim population had increased drastically in the past couple of years was wrong. "It is true that the Muslim population has grown at a higher rate than other ethnicities, which is 1.87%, but it is a fallacy to say that they will be the majority in the next few years. Factors such as the total population of the country and the time period in question would also have to be considered before drawing any conclusions,” she said.

Speaking further on the matter she said that other ethnicities had also grown in number and added it is also a misinterpretation of the available statistics to say

It is true that the Muslim population has grown at a higher rate than other ethnicities

that the number of Muslims in the Colombo Municipality had surpassed other ethnicities. "They make these claims by only looking at the population in Colombo district secretariat areas. But the Colombo Municipality also consists of the Thimbirigasyaya its suburbs. When you calculate the population of all these areas the majority are not Muslims," she added.