Church concerned about declining population of Christians in Goa

Panaji – The local churches of Goa are deeply concerned about the declining population of Christians in Goa and feel that unless something is done to check the decline, Christian population would vanish from the state altogether.

The Economic Survey 2004–05 released by the Directorate of Planning, Statistics and Evaluation of the government of Goa, has presented a shocking report of the declining Christian population in Goa. With 3, 59,568 persons, Christians form 26.68 per cent of the population of the State. Compare that to 40 years earlier in 1960, when they numbered 2, 24,612 and accounted for 38.07 per cent of the population.

In 40 years, though the numbers have increased marginally, the percentage has dropped drastically.

In contrast Hindus with 3, 53,526 in 1960 accounted for 59.92 per cent of the population have increased their numbers to 8, 86,551 and make up 65.79 per cent of the population today.

The highest growth has been among the Muslims who were 11,505 in 1960 and today are at 92,210. In four decades while the Hindu population has increased by 2.5 times and the Muslim population by 8 times, the Christian population has increased by just 1.5 times.

Most startling is that in the decade of the nineties, when Muslims saw their population increase by 50 percent and Hindus by 17 percent, the Christians saw an increase of just three percent. In fact in real numbers, Christians added just 10,343 to their population between 1991 to 2001 going from 3, 49,225 to 3, 59,568.

These numbers need to be studied and it is certain that the emigration of the Christian population from Goa has much to do with the falling numbers.