Around 356,000 people identified as Arab in the UK according to the 2021 Census, making up about 0.5% of the population, with concentrations in London, especially Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea. While the Census provides a key figure for the "Arab" ethnic group, other data suggests numbers around 330,000 for England & Wales (2022) or even up to 500,000 for the whole UK, with varying definitions.
The United Kingdom is an ethnically diverse society. The largest ethnic group in the United Kingdom is White British, followed by Asian British.
The UK Muslim population is around 4 million, making Islam the second-largest religion, with the 2021 Census showing nearly 3.9 million Muslims in England & Wales (6.5%) and data for Northern Ireland adding over 10,000, and Scotland's figures also contributing, showing significant growth from 2011. London has the largest Muslim community, with 15% of its population identifying as Muslim, and overall, the community is young, diverse, and increasingly UK-born, notes the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) statistics report (PDF).
Among individual countries outside of the UK, the countries of Pakistan; Bangladesh; Somalia; India; Iraq; Turkey; Afghanistan; Iran; Syria; and Italy made up the top ten most common countries of birth for Muslims residing in England and Wales. 59.7% of Muslims identified as either Pakistani/Bangladeshi/Indian, 6.2% ...
Estimates of the percentage of Muslims in Russia (the biggest group of Muslims in Europe) vary from 5 to 11.7%, depending on sources. It also depends on if only observant Muslims or all people of Muslim descent are counted. The city of Moscow is home to an estimated 1.5 million Muslims.
82% of people in England and Wales are White, and 18% belong to a Black, Asian, Mixed or Other ethnic group (2021 Census data). Find information about the experiences and outcomes of people from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.
As of the 2021 Australian Census, the Muslim population in Australia was 813,392, making up 3.2% of the total population, and it's Australia's largest non-Christian religious group, showing consistent growth from previous censuses. Projections suggest the number could surpass 1 million by late 2024, highlighting its increasing diversity and significance within Australian society, with adherents coming from over 100 countries.
While London has the largest Muslim population overall, areas like Tower Hamlets (London Borough) and Blackburn with Darwen (Unitary Authority) have the highest percentages of Muslims in the UK, with Tower Hamlets often cited as the highest by proportion at nearly 40%, followed closely by Newham and Luton, according to recent census data.
The number of Muslims in Ireland has increased since the 1990s, mostly through immigration. For the 2022 Irish census, 81,930 were counted within the Republic of Ireland. There are around 12,000 Muslims within Northern Ireland.
In 2010, there were an estimated 5,900 Muslims in Slovakia representing fewer than 0.1% of the country's population. Slovakia is the only EU member state without a mosque.
Modern Egyptians are considered Arab in terms of language and culture due to the Arabization of the country following the Islamic conquest in the 7th century AD. However, ethnically, Egyptians are a mix of indigenous North African populations with influences from Arabs, Europeans, and others.
According to Saudi Aramco World, the largest concentration of Arabs outside the Arab World is in Brazil, which has 9 million Brazilians of Arab ancestry. Of these 9 million Arabs, 6 million are of Lebanese ancestry, making Brazil's population of Lebanese equivalent to that of Lebanon itself.
Caribbean and African households are often poorer than white households, but Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are easily the poorest groups in Britain, and depend very heavily on means-tested benefits.
The largest increases were seen in the number of people who identified their ethnic group within the “Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh” category (9.3%, 5.5 million in 2021, up from 7.5%, 4.2 million in 2011) and within “Other ethnic group” (2.1%, 1.3 million people in 2021, up from 1.0%, 564,000 in 2011).
The city with the lowest White British population as a percentage was Leicester (40.9%) – also the only city below 50% – while the lowest for unitary authorities was Slough (34.5%), followed by Luton (44.6%).
In the 2021 census, Shamanism was the fastest growing religion in England. Many of England's most notable buildings and monuments are religious in nature: Westminster Abbey, Canterbury Cathedral and St Paul's Cathedral. The festivals of Christmas and Easter are widely celebrated in the country.
The Islamic Centre of England Ltd (ICEL) is a religious and cultural institution linked to the Iranian government at 140 Maida Vale, London, whose mission is "to provide services to members of the Muslim community, in particular, and the wider community at large", focusing on religious guidance and cultural issues.
Based on the 2021 Australian Census, Hinduism was the fastest-growing religion by percentage increase, with its adherents growing by 148.2% between 2011 and 2021, while Islam and Sikhism also saw significant growth, and the largest group remained those with "No Religion".
In 2030, Muslims will experience a rare "double Ramadan," fasting twice within the Gregorian calendar year (early January and late December) due to the lunar Islamic calendar's shift; demographic trends suggest continued significant growth, with India potentially having the largest Muslim population and substantial increases in Europe and the U.S., while religious practices will focus on increased devotion and reflection during these two holy months.
Demographics. Based on the 2021 census, the total Jewish population is estimated to be 117,000. About 90 percent of the Australian Jewish community live in Sydney and Melbourne. The Jewish Community Council of Victoria has estimated that 60,000 Australian Jews live in Victoria.
The black African population is the fastest growing and largest, black group in England and Wales, making up 1.8% of the total population at a size of 1.3 million.
Between the 2001 and 2021 UK censuses the "white British" ethnic group fell by about 1.2 million people. What percentage of this fall in population do you attribute to emigration specifically as opposed to other factors such as sub-replacement fertility or more mixed race relationships?
Language, England and Wales: Census 2021
In 2021, 91.1% (52.6 million) of usual residents, aged three years and over, had English (English or Welsh in Wales) as a main language (down from 92.3%, or 49.8 million, in 2011).