While exact numbers vary by projection, estimates suggest Australia's Muslim population could exceed 1.5 million by 2050, growing from around 3.2% of the population (2021 Census) due to high birth rates and immigration, potentially reaching over 1 million by the late 2020s and continuing to grow significantly in the following decades.
Census data spanning from 2006 to 2021 showcases the steady growth of the Muslim population in Australia, almost doubling from 1.7% to 3.2%. Forecasts suggest that by 2050, the numbers could soar above 1.5 million.
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.
By 2050, Christianity is projected to remain the world's largest religion, but Islam is expected to nearly equal it in numbers, with both groups comprising around 30-31% of the global population, driven by higher birth rates in Muslim-majority areas and significant growth in Christian populations, particularly in developing regions, according to Pew Research Center analyses.
The number of Muslims increased by about 34%. In 2021 muslims were about 3.4% of the total population. But "no religion" is probably the fastest growing group - from 30% of the population to 39% in five years. All non-Christian religions grew from 8.2% to 10% overall.
Is Australia Muslim-friendly? Australia is known for its friendly and welcoming nature. Our population is incredibly ethically, religiously, and linguistically diverse. In fact, more than half the population has at least one parent who was born overseas and about 23% speak a language other than English at home.
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.
Islam has continued to spread through commerce and migrations, especially in Southeast Asia, America and Europe. Modern day Islamization appears to be a return of the individual to Muslim values, communities, and dress codes, and a strengthened community.
Pew Research have estimated the number will be around 2.2 billion in 2030 and 2.8 billion, or 30 percent of the world population, in 2050.
For Muslims, it's recommended to use the emoji 🙏 that features hands raised in supplication (du'ā) instead. This small difference reflects important religious distinctions. 2️⃣ **Pregnant Man Emoji 🫃** This emoji represents a concept that goes against Islamic teachings, as men cannot be pregnant.
About 87-90% of the world's Muslims are Sunni Muslims, making Sunni Islam the largest denomination, while the remaining 10-13% are primarily Shia Muslims, with other smaller groups comprising less than 1%. Sunnis follow the "prophetic tradition," believing in the leadership of the first four caliphs, whereas Shias believe leadership passed to Ali, Muhammad's son-in-law.
Alternatively, in the high migration scenario, Germany would have by far the highest number of Muslims in 2050 – 17.5 million. This projection reflects Germany's acceptance of a large number of Muslim refugees in recent years.
By 2050, Melbourne is projected to be Australia's biggest city, surpassing Sydney, with forecasts suggesting its population could reach around 8 to 9 million people, driven by significant migration and natural growth, while Sydney's growth is expected to be slower. This rapid expansion will place considerable strain on Melbourne's infrastructure, leading to increased congestion, housing demand, and cost of living pressures, prompting city planning initiatives like Plan Melbourne to manage the growth sustainably.
Reasons the global Muslim population grew quickly
Based on data for the 2015-2020 period, we estimated a Muslim woman would have 2.9 children, on average, in her lifetime, compared with 2.2 children per non-Muslim woman. In 2020, the global median age for Muslims was nine years below the non-Muslim median (24 vs. 33).
A major study conducted by missionary David Garrison, highlighted in his 2014 book “A Wind in the House of Islam,” estimates that between 2 and 7 million Muslims have converted to Christianity worldwide in the past two decades. Garrison calls this movement “the greatest turning of Muslims to Christ in history.”
A comprehensive religious forecast for 2050 by the Pew Research Center predicts that the global Muslim population will grow at a faster rate than the Christian population – primarily due to the average younger age, and higher fertility rate of Muslims.
Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, Pew study says. Muslims are the fastest-growing faith group, followed by the religiously unaffiliated, according to a new Pew Research Center study measuring the evolution of the global religious population between 2010 and 2020.
In Islam, the raised index finger (al-musabbiḥa) symbolizes the core concept of Tawhid, the indivisible oneness of God (Allah) and the declaration of faith (Shahada), affirming there is no god but God. Muslims use this gesture during prayer (Salah) and sometimes when saying the declaration of faith, pointing to the singular nature of God, signifying faith, unity, and praise.
77% of new converts to Islam are from Christianity, whereas 19% were from non-religion. Meanwhile, among American-born Muslims who have left Islam, about 55% now identify with no religion, 22% identify as Christian, and another 21% identify with other faiths.
This is supported by a study by the World Values Survey in 57 countries which showed that Muslims give birth to more children than other religions.
There are many common aspects between Islam and Judaism. As Islam developed it gradually became the major religion closest to Judaism, both of them being strictly monotheist religious traditions originating in a Semitic Middle Eastern culture.
The largest immigrant group in Australia has historically been people born in England (United Kingdom), remaining the top country of birth for overseas-born residents for many years, but people born in India have seen the largest growth and are now the second-largest group, with China and New Zealand also having significant populations. While the UK still leads overall as the single largest community, recent trends show a significant shift towards Asian countries, especially India, in terms of new migrants and population growth.
Australia's wealthiest individuals often include Jewish figures like property magnate Harry Triguboff (Meriton founder) and packaging tycoon Anthony Pratt (Visy/Pratt Industries), alongside prominent families such as the Smorgon and Besen families, many rising from immigrant backgrounds to build vast empires in real estate, retail, and manufacturing, with historical figures like Frank Lowy (Westfield) also shaping the nation's wealth landscape, notes The Times of Israel.