Most Muslims in the UK come from South Asia, specifically Pakistan and Bangladesh. Over half of British Muslims were born in the UK, but their ethnic heritage is predominantly South Asian, reflecting historical immigration patterns after World War II.
Major Muslim populations in the UK have their origins in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Yemen and Somalia. Following migration from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan) in the 1950s and 1960s, South Asian Muslims settled in the major industrial towns and cities of the Midlands, northern England and London.
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.
Large-scale immigration of Muslims to Britain began after World War II, as a result of the destruction and labour shortages caused by the war. Muslim migrants from former British colonies, predominantly India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, were recruited in large numbers by government and businesses to rebuild the country.
Pakistani immigrants helped to solve labour shortages in the British steel, textile and engineering industries. The National Health Service (NHS) recruited doctors from Pakistan in the 1960s. The British Pakistani population has grown from about 10,000 in 1951 to over 1.6 million in 2021.
India, Poland, Pakistan, Romania, and Ireland were the most common countries of birth among UK migrants in 2021/22. According to the 2021/22 Census, an estimated 32% of all foreign-born residents in the UK came from five countries – India (9%), Poland (8%), Pakistan (6%), Romania (5%), and Ireland (4%).
FAQ: Pakistanis in the UK
Unsurprisingly, most of the Pakistanis in the UK live in Greater London. The capital is home to almost 300,000 people of Pakistani descent. Other expat hubs include Birmingham (around 200,000), Bradford (140,000), and Manchester (66,000).
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.”
Results of the 2021 Census for England and Wales showed that Christianity is the largest religion (though it makes up less than half of the population at 46.2%), followed by the non-religious (37.2%), Islam (6.5%), Hinduism (1.7%), Sikhism (0.9%), Buddhism (0.5%), Judaism (0.5%), and others (0.6%).
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.
There is no separate sharia legal system in the UK. What exist are sharia councils and the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal. The sharia councils have no statutory authority under English law. They may be used to resolve personal disputes such as marriage, divorce and inheritance.
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.
One in ten Muslims in England & Wales are black, with the overwhelming majority being of African origin. There are also notable sections of the British Muslim population which are Arab (7 per cent), White (6 per cent), and of a mixed-race background (4 per cent).
The Muslim population of the UK has doubled in the last 15 years from 3% to 6% (2 million to 4 million) and they also have higher fertility rates. Your average White British women has 1.8 children your average Muslim woman 3.9.
Most British Arabs live in the Greater London area, and many are either businesspeople, recent immigrants, or students. There are also sizable and long-established Yemeni Arab communities living in both Cardiff and the South Shields area near Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Israel has the largest Jewish population in the world, with around 7.1 to 7.4 million Jews, making up nearly half of the global Jewish population, closely followed by the United States, which has the second-largest population, though estimates vary slightly, with some sources placing it slightly above or below Israel depending on the year and data. France, Canada, and the United Kingdom have the next largest Jewish communities in the world.
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.
Studies in the 21st century suggest that, in terms of percentage and worldwide spread, Islam is the fastest-growing major religion in the world.
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.
In 2020/21 there were approximately 696,000 Polish nationals living in the United Kingdom, the highest non-British population at this time. Indian and Irish were the joint second-largest nationalities at approximately 370,000 people.
Bradford earned the moniker 'Little Pakistan' due to the significant Pakistani community in the city. In fact, Pakistanis account for over 25% of the city's population: roughly 140,000 individuals.