Birmingham is the UK city with the largest number of Muslim residents. According to the 2021 Census data for England and Wales, Birmingham's Muslim population was 341,811.
The settlements with the largest numbers of Muslims are Birmingham, Bradford, London, Manchester and Leicester. There are also high numbers in Kirklees, Luton, Bolton, Slough, Rochdale and mill towns of Northern England like Oldham and Blackburn.
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.
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.
The top five cities with the largest estimated Muslim population concentrations include:
Mecca. Mecca is considered the holiest city in Islam, as it is home to Islam's holiest site Kaaba in Masjid al-Haram (The Sacred Mosque). Only Muslims are allowed to enter the city. Mount Arafat near Mecca in Saudi Arabia, where Muhammad stood and delivered the farewell sermon towards the end of his life.
Countries with the largest Muslim population in 2020
In 2020, Indonesia recorded the largest population of Muslims worldwide, with around 239 million. This was followed with around 226.88 million Muslims in Pakistan and 213 million Muslims in India.
All the minority faiths are growing in population, but the fastest rate is for Muslims. There are more Muslims than all the other minority faiths put together. The Muslim population increased by 1.2 million between 2011 and 2021.
The cities or districts with the largest communities, by Pakistani ethnicity in the England and Wales 2021 census, are as follows: Birmingham (pop. 195,102), Bradford (139,553), Manchester (65,875), Kirklees (54,795), Redbridge (44,000) and Luton (41,143).
London is one of the most linguistically diverse cities in the world. More than 300 languages are spoken across its boroughs, reflecting its status as a global metropolis. Areas such as Southall, Brick Lane and Chinatown offer rich cultural experiences, from authentic cuisine to traditional festivals.
After Christianity, the religions with the most adherents are Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism, Buddhism, modern paganism, and the Bahá'í Faith. There are also organisations promoting irreligion, including humanism and atheism. In the 2021 census, Shamanism was the fastest growing religion in England.
DO MUSLIMS IN THE UK PAY INHERITANCE TAX? Yes, Muslims in the UK are subject to the laws and rules relating to inheritance tax. Inheritance tax in the UK is not based on religion but on the actual value of the estate and the rules of the country you live in.
The Baitul Futuh (English: House of Victories) is a mosque complex of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, situated in Morden, London. It is one of the largest mosque complexes in Europe.
As already indicated, over the years BSA has charted a sharp decline in religious identification and Christian practice. Voas and Bruce showed in the 36th BSA report that the proportion saying they do not identify with any religion or denomination increased from 31% in 1983 to 52% by 2018.
In particular, Bradford: also known as 'Bradistan' or 'Little Pakistan', and home to the third largest Pakistani population in the UK, after London and Birmingham.
The greatest concentration can be found in the east London boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham and Redbridge, where Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, and Indians tend to predominate.
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.
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.”
Islam is the fastest-growing religion in India. Growth rate of Muslims has been consistently higher than the growth rate of others, ever since the census data of independent India has been available. For example, during the 1991–2001 decade, Muslim growth rate was 29.5% (while others were 19.9%).
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.
Besides India, many nations have a significant Muslim population. But there is one country where there is not a single Muslim resident. Vatican City is the world's smallest independent country. Vatican City serves as a religious and cultural hub for the Catholic community.
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.
Christianity is the world's largest religion by number of followers, with over 2.4 billion adherents, followed closely by Islam, with nearly 2 billion, and then Hinduism and Buddhism, with billions and hundreds of millions, respectively, though Islam is projected to grow faster and potentially overtake Christianity in the coming decades, according to reports from organizations like the Pew Research Center.