Muslim Population Is Rapidly Increasing In The UK

The Muslim population in England and Wales has increased significantly in recent years. It is based on the Office For National Statistics (ONS) census, published on Tuesday, November 29.

The census, which was held on March 21 2021, shows that the Muslim population in England and Wales has increased by 44% in a decade, which makes a total of 6.5% of the country or 3.9 million of the country’s total population are Muslims. It is up from the 2.7 million Muslims living in England and Wales in 2011, equivalent to 4.9 per cent of the population.

This data means there are now around four million Muslims living in the UK if the Muslim populations in Scotland and Northern Ireland are also taken into account.

London is the city with the highest concentration of Muslims. 15% of Londoners describe themselves as Muslim or up from 12.6% in 2021. This means more than 1.3 million Muslims are living in London alone.

As of 2011, the area with the highest percentage of residents who described themselves as Muslim was the Tower Hamlets area at 39.9%, up from 38.0% in 2011. Other areas with a high percentage of people responding as Muslim include Blackburn, with Darween 35.0% and Newham at 34.8%.

Census data on religion also clearly shows adherents of traditional religions in England and Wales, which is Christianity, have continued to fall to no more than 50%. Only Islam has consistently recorded a significant increase in adherents.

Referring to the census, Professor Linda Woodhead predicts Islam will continue to show strong growth in the UK. Unlike the results of the ONS census, Prof. Woodhead calculated that the Muslim population in England could have reached up to 8% now.

Prof. Woodhead also believes Islam will become a significant player in the UK’s religious landscape in the future by noting that the Muslim community in Britain fulfils all the requirements to grow significantly from a community, institutional and faith standpoint.

Support independent Islamic website.

Support our mission to spread Islamic knowledge. Your donation helps our volunteer writers and infrastructure. Contribute now.

One-Time ($2.99) Monthly ($1.99)