1. Muslim population in British India - 7.94 crore 
2. Muslim population in States/Agencies - 1.50 crore
3. Total Muslim population - 9.44 crore
4. Muslim population grouped in Pakistan - 4.79 crore
5. Total population of India' - 39.00 crore

(Source:Constitutional Problemin India by R. Coupland)

Exchanqe of Population
Qaed-e-Azam Jinnah and seven other Muslim League leaders had asked for exchange of population simultaneously with the division of India into Pakistan and Hindustan.

Qaed-e-Azam Jinnah
Addressing a press conference, Qaed-e-Azam M.A. Jinnah, President of the All India Muslim League said, "In view of the horrible slaughter in the various parts of India I am of the opinion that the authorities, both central and provincial, should take up immediately the question of exchange of population (The Dawn, 26 November 1946).


Ghazanfar Ali Khan
The population map of India will have to be altered to a more or less extent as the only satisfactory solution of the serious and urgent problem created in parts of India during recent months (The Dawn, 19 December 1946).


Khan Iftikhar Hussain Khan of Mamdot
President of the Muslim League in Punjab says that the exchange of population offers the most practical solution of our multifarious problems (The Dawn 2 December 1946).


Bihar Leaque demands exchange of population (The Dawn, 4 Dec. 1946).


Ghulam Hussain. Sind Premier demands exchange of population and promises land allotment for Muslims of U.P. (The Dawn 4 December 1946).

Sir Feroze Khan Noon threatened to re-enact the murderous orgies of Chengez Khan and Halaqu Khan of non-Muslims if they took up an obstructive attitude against population exchange (The Dawn, 8 April 1946).


Mohammad Ismail a leader from Madras had declared that the Muslims of India were in the midst of a Jihad. 


Shaukat Hayat Khan son of the premier of Punjab, Sir Sikander Hayat Khan, had threatened a rehearsal of what the Muslims would do with the Hindus eventually.


Population of Hindus and Muslims :
Total population of India as per 2001 census - 103 crore
                        Hindus -       83 crore
                        Muslims -     14 crore

Projected population on the assumed compound growth rate of


However, Muslim population could surpass that of Hindus much earlier than 2051.

Population Composition (Religion-wise)
The table below shows the growth rates of Hindus and Muslims since 1961:

Religious Composition%             Decadal Growth Rate%

The data brings out:

1. Hindu population as a proportion of the total has continuously declined.
2. Muslim population as a proportion has continuously increased.
3. The decadal growth rate of Muslim population has been consistently increasing over the last 50 years.

Statewise and religion wise growth rates, India and major states,1981-91 and 1991-20 1

Note: N. C. = Not computed. 
Data for Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh relate to the erstwhile states as they constituted before bifurcation. 
Source : Population of India by Mahendra K. Premi