Muslims - the facts

Andy Johnstone / Panos Pictures

Muslims of the world

Islam is considered the fastest growing religion in the world. There are approximately 1.3 billion Muslims constituting a fifth of humanity. Most are under 25.^1,2

• Around 85 per cent of Muslims belong to the majority Sunni sect. The minority Shi’a Muslims are concentrated in Iran and Iraq.²

• Less than 20 per cent of Muslims are Arabs. Almost half of the world’s Muslims live in South and Southeast Asia.²

World’s most Muslim nations

The populations of the following countries are almost entirely Muslim. That is, about 99.5% or more of the native populations, and nearly all of the foreign workers, are Muslim.³

Bahrain
Comoros
Kuwait
Maldives
Mauritania
Mayotte
Morocco
Oman
Qatar
Somalia
Saudi Arabia
Tunisia
United Arab Emirates
Western Sahara
 Yemen

Largest national Muslim populations^3^

Sizeable Muslim communities

There are also sizeable Muslim communities in the following countries.^1,3

• The US has an estimated 5.7 million Muslims — roughly equal to its Jewish population

• France has an estimated 3 million

• Germany has an estimated 2.5 million

• The UK has an estimated 1.5 million

• Canada has an estimated 0.5 a million

• Australia has an estimated 200,000

Refugees

The majority of the world’s estimated 12 million refugees are Muslim. And most of them take refuge in other Muslim countries.⁴

Frits Meyst / Panos Pictures

1. Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRTCIC), Ankara, Turkey.
2. National Geographic Magazine, January 2002.
3. http://www.adherents.com - an independent non-affiliated website of 4,200 religions

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