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Muslims in the UK

“From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.  God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” Acts 17:26-27

In the UK today there are peoples from all over the earth; even peoples from places that are hard to get to either for geographical or political reasons. Some peoples here number  hundreds of thousands, some just a few tens. God has brought the least reached to our postcodes, so that they can ‘reach out for him and find him.’ (For more about unreached/unengaged peoples click here)

The following facts and figures help us understand more about who and where these peoples are.

In the 2011 census there were 2,706,066 Muslims in the UK or 4.5% of population.   

In 2017 Pew Research estimated  that Muslims in UK numbered 4.1 million, or 6.3 of population

Click here to see more figures from Pew Research.  

The vast majority of Muslims in the UK live in England.

Approximately half of all Muslims were born in the UK, and half are under 25 years old.

In the 2011 census the largest groups were:

1.1 million Muslims identified as Pakistani, now estimated as 1.5 million. It is estimated about 75% of these further identify as Mirpuri.

500,000 identified as Bangladeshi, mostly from Sylhet, now estimated as 600,000, 70% of these live in London, particularly Tower Hamlets

500,000 identified as Turks; 60% of  whom are Turkish Cypriots

100,000 identified as Somalis – but as there was no tick box for Somali, the true number is thought to be between 250,000 and 400,000

250,000 identified as ‘white’ Muslims, mostly from the Balkans

150,000 identified as  Indians

85,000 identified as Iranians

There are estimated to be 70 -80,000 Afghans, mostly in London

In the 2011 census there were 1 million Muslims in London, 255,000 in Birmingham, 130,000 in Bradford and 80,000 in Manchester

 

The top 10 local authorities in England and Wales with the highest percentage of Muslims in 2011 were:

London Borough  of Tower Hamlets 35% or 88,000

London Borough of Newham 32% or 98,000

Blackburn with Darwen 27% or 39,000

Bradford 25% or 130,000

Luton 25% or 50,000

London Borough of Redbridge 23% or 65,000

Slough 23% or 33,000

London Borough of Waltham Forest 22% or 57,000

Birmingham 22% or 255,000

Leicester 19% or 61,000