Muslim Population in the UK: Statistics & Projections
How many Muslims live in the UK, who they are, how they give, and what the data means for organisations that want to reach them.
About 4 million Muslims live in the United Kingdom, roughly 6% of the population, according to the Muslim Council of Britain's 2026 compendium, which combines the 2021 censuses of England, Wales and Northern Ireland with Scotland's 2022 census [1]. England and Wales alone counted 3,868,133 Muslims in 2021 (6.5%), up from 2.7 million (4.9%) in 2011 [4].
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The UK Muslim community in numbers
- About 4 million Muslims live in the UK, roughly 6% of the population [1]. England and Wales counted 3,868,133 in 2021 (6.5%), Scotland 119,872 in 2022 (2.2%) and Northern Ireland 10,870 in 2021 (0.57%) [4, 1, 9].
- The Muslim population of England and Wales grew by 1.16 million in a decade, from 2.7 million (4.9%) in 2011 to 3.9 million (6.5%) in 2021 [4].
- It is the youngest major religious group: 46% are under 25 against 29% of the UK population, and only 5% are over 65 against 19% [1]. One in ten school-age children in the UK is Muslim [1].
- For the first time a majority of UK Muslims (50.8%) were born in the UK [1]. Among British-born Muslims in England and Wales, 93.9% give a UK-only national identity [1].
- London is home to 1.32 million Muslims, 15% of the city [1, 4]. Birmingham has the largest count of any local authority (341,811) and Tower Hamlets the highest share (39.9%) [1, 4].
- There is no single "British Muslim": 65.8% are Asian, 10.7% Black, 7.4% Arab and 5.9% White, and one in three of the UK's ethnic-minority population is Muslim [1].
- Disadvantage is structural: 40% of Muslims in England live in the 46 most deprived local authority districts, home to 20% of the population [2], and 32.7% of Muslims in England and Wales live in overcrowded homes against 8.4% overall [6].
- Muslim respondents in a 2024 survey reported giving £708 a year on average against £165 for the general public [13]; Equi puts total British Muslim giving at about £2.2 billion a year [12].
- England and Wales have 3,919 registered Islamic and Muslim charities with a combined latest income of £1.66 billion; the ten largest account for 41% of it [16].
- Police-recorded anti-Muslim hate crimes in England and Wales rose 15% to 5,132 in the year to March 2026 [26], and 56% of Muslims say they experienced prejudice because of their religion in the past year [32].
The community at a glance
Source: Office for National Statistics [4]
UK MuslimsWhole UK population
Source: Muslim Council of Britain [1]
Source: Muslim Council of Britain [1]
Source: Blue State, reported by UK Fundraising [13]
Registered Islamic and Muslim charities in England and Wales [16].
Their combined latest reported income [16].
Share of that income raised by the ten largest [16].
Share of the charities with an income under £100,000: most are small and local [16].
Source: Wusul, Islamic Charity Index, from the Charity Commission register [16]
Value of halal meat and poultry at the point of slaughter, about 15% of the UK's £11 billion meat industry [21].
Halal's share of the value of the UK sheep sector: about £810 million of £1.1 billion [21].
Reported meat spend of halal-shopper households, against £19.46 for all households; larger households explain part of the gap [22].
Equi's estimate of what Ramadan adds to the UK economy each year, in food, gifts, travel and giving [15].
Source: University of Huddersfield for the Halal Monitoring Committee, AHDB, Equi [21, 22, 15]
Source: Tell MAMA [27]
Source: British Future and the British Muslim Trust [32]
Frequently asked questions
How many Muslims are there in the UK?
About 4 million Muslims live in the United Kingdom, according to the Muslim Council of Britain's 2026 compendium of the 2021 censuses of England, Wales and Northern Ireland and Scotland's 2022 census. England and Wales alone counted 3,868,133 Muslims in 2021, Scotland 119,872 in 2022 and Northern Ireland 10,870 in 2021.
What percentage of the UK population is Muslim?
About 6% of the UK population is Muslim. The share is 6.5% in England and Wales (2021), 2.2% in Scotland (2022) and 0.57% in Northern Ireland (2021).
How many Muslims live in London?
About 1.32 million Muslims live in London, 15.0% of the city's population in the 2021 census and about a third of all Muslims in the UK. Tower Hamlets has the highest share of any local authority in England and Wales, 39.9%.
Which UK cities have the most Muslims?
By local authority, Birmingham has the most Muslims (341,811 in 2021), followed by Bradford (166,846), Tower Hamlets (123,912), Manchester (122,962) and Newham (122,146). Outside England, the largest communities are in Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast.
Is the Muslim population in the UK growing?
Yes. In England and Wales it grew from about 1.55 million in 2001 to 2.7 million in 2011 and 3.9 million in 2021, from 4.9% to 6.5% of the population over the last decade. The community is young: 46% of UK Muslims are under 25.
What will the Muslim population of the UK be in 2050?
There is no official projection: the Office for National Statistics does not project the population by religion. Pew Research Center's 2017 study projected about 13 million Muslims in the UK by 2050, roughly 17% of the population, in its medium-migration scenario. It was made before the 2021 census and depends on its assumptions.
How many Muslims live in Scotland?
Scotland's 2022 census counted 119,872 Muslims, 2.2% of the population, up 56.2% since 2011. Most live in and around Glasgow (48,766) and Edinburgh.
How much do British Muslims give to charity?
In a 2024 online survey by Blue State, Muslim respondents reported giving £708 a year on average, against £165 for the general public. Equi estimates British Muslims give about £2.2 billion a year, much of it as zakat and sadaqah during Ramadan.
How many Islamic charities are there in the UK?
Wusul's Islamic Charity Index lists 3,919 registered Islamic and Muslim charities in England and Wales, with a combined latest income of £1.66 billion. The ten largest raise 41% of that income; two thirds of the charities have an income under £100,000.
How many Muslims are in the British Army?
On 1 October 2025 about 890 of the 137,100 UK Regular Forces personnel were Muslim, 0.7% of those with a recorded religion. Declaring a religion is voluntary.
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