The Muslim Population in the United Kingdom 2026
Britain’s Muslim community has become the country’s fastest-growing significant faith group, with Office for National Statistics (ONS) Census figures confirming that Muslims made up 6.5% of the population in England and Wales, or 3,868,133 people, as of the 2021 Census, up sharply from 4.9% in 2011. Combined with 119,872 Muslims recorded in Scotland’s 2022 census and 10,870 in Northern Ireland, the UK-wide Muslim population working estimate for 2026 now sits comfortably above 4 million people, firmly establishing Islam as Britain’s second-largest religion and the largest non-Christian faith in the country.
This article lays out the most current, verified Muslim population statistics for the UK in 2026, sourced exclusively from the Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland, and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Readers will find figures on national and regional population shares, growth trends since 2001, city-level concentrations, ethnic origins and countries of birth, education and employment patterns, and economic contribution. Every number reflects the latest published census data, giving researchers, community organizations, and policymakers a single reliable reference point on Britain’s Muslim population today.
Interesting Facts About the Muslim Population in the UK 2026
Before the detailed breakdown, here is a quick-reference table of standout figures defining the UK’s Muslim community this year.
Key 2026 UK Muslim Population Figures
England & Wales Muslim Population (2021) ████████████████████████████████████████ 3,868,133
Share of England & Wales Population ████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 6.5%
Growth Since 2011 (England & Wales) ██████████████████████████████████████░░ +44%
Scotland Muslim Population (2022) █████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 119,872
Estimated UK-Wide Total, 2026 ████████████████████████████████████████ 4.1M+
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Muslim population, England and Wales (2021 Census) | 3,868,133 (6.5%) |
| Muslim population, England and Wales (2011 Census) | 2.71 million (4.8%) |
| Growth in England and Wales, 2011–2021 | +44% (+1.16 million) |
| Share of total population growth attributable to Muslims | 33% |
| Muslim population, Scotland (2022 Census) | 119,872 (2.2%) |
| Muslim population, Northern Ireland (2021 Census) | 10,870 (0.6%) |
| Estimated UK-wide Muslim population, 2026 | 4.1 million+ |
| Rank among UK religious groups | 2nd largest (after Christianity) |
| Christian share, England and Wales, 2021 | 46.2% (first time below 50%) |
| Share reporting no religion, 2021 | 37.2% |
Source: Office for National Statistics, Census 2021, “Muslims living in the UK”; Muslim Council of Britain, “British Muslims in Numbers: 2021 First Look Findings,” 2022; Wikipedia/Islam in the United Kingdom, citing 2021-2022 UK census data.
These figures capture a historic demographic shift in England and Wales, where fewer than half of residents identified as Christian for the first time ever, while the Muslim population grew by a striking 44% in a single decade, rising from 2.71 million in 2011 to 3.87 million in 2021. This growth was so substantial that Muslims alone accounted for 33% of the entire population increase in England and Wales over that ten-year period, even though the community represents only about 6.5% of the total population.
Regionally, England and Wales overwhelmingly dominate the UK’s Muslim population, with Scotland’s 119,872 Muslims representing 2.2% of that nation’s population and Northern Ireland’s 10,870 just 0.6%, reflecting the same broader pattern of concentration seen across the UK’s non-Christian religious communities. Taken together, these figures push the working UK-wide estimate for 2026 to over 4.1 million Muslims, a population that Pew Research Center projections suggest could climb as high as 13% of the UK total by 2050 under a high-immigration scenario, a demographic trend worth tracking alongside the broader immigration patterns covered in our UK British Immigration Statistics coverage.
National Growth Trends of the Muslim Population in the UK 2026
Muslim Share of England & Wales Population Over Time
2011 ████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 4.9%
2021 ██████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 6.5%
| National Trend Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Muslim share, England and Wales, 2011 | 4.9% |
| Muslim share, England and Wales, 2021 | 6.5% |
| Total population growth, England and Wales, 2011–2021 | 56.08M → 59.60M |
| Christian share decline, 2011–2021 | 59.3% → 46.2% |
| No religion share increase, 2011–2021 | 25.2% → 37.2% |
| Second most common religion after Christianity | Muslim (ahead of Hindu, Sikh) |
| Hindu population, England and Wales (2021) | ~1 million |
| Sikh population, England and Wales (2021) | ~524,000 |
Source: Office for National Statistics, Census 2021, Religion tables; TRT World, “UK sees rapid growth in Muslim population: census,” November 2022.
The pace of change in England and Wales’s religious landscape over the past decade has been dramatic by any historical standard. Christian identification fell from 59.3% to 46.2% between 2011 and 2021, while those reporting no religious affiliation climbed from 25.2% to 37.2%, becoming the second most common response nationally. Against this backdrop of accelerating secularization, Islam moved in the opposite direction entirely, growing from 4.9% to 6.5% of the population and comfortably outpacing the next largest non-Christian faiths, Hindu (around 1 million) and Sikh (around 524,000) populations.
This divergence, a rapidly secularizing native-born population alongside a growing religiously-affiliated minority population, reflects the central role that immigration and age structure play in shaping the UK’s religious composition. With Muslims accounting for a full third of England and Wales’s total population growth over the decade despite representing only a fraction of the overall population, the community’s demographic momentum has become a defining feature of the country’s broader population trends, closely tied to shifts explored in our England Population by Race coverage of the country’s changing ethnic composition.
Regional Distribution of the Muslim Population in the UK 2026
Muslim Population by UK Region, 2026 Estimate (thousands)
West Midlands ███████████████████████████████████ 600
North West ███████████████████████████░░░░░░░░ 470
Yorkshire & Humbe ██████████████████████████░░░░░░░░░ 460
East Midlands ██████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 200
| Region | Estimated Muslim Population (2026) | Notable Local Concentration |
|---|---|---|
| West Midlands | ~600,000 | Birmingham (~30%) |
| North West | ~470,000 | Blackburn (~35%), Oldham (~24%) |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | ~460,000 | Bradford (~31%) |
| East Midlands | ~200,000 | Leicester (~24%) |
| Wales (2021 Census) | ~66,000–67,000 (2.1%) | Newport (highest in Wales) |
| Share of UK Muslims across top 5 regions | ~76% | Including London |
Source: Eaalim Institute, “Muslims in the UK: The British Muslim Community in 2026,” citing ONS Census 2021 regional data; Muslim Population in Wales UK Complete Guide, 2025.
Around 76% of Britain’s Muslim population is concentrated across just five regions: London, the West Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber, the North West, and the East Midlands. The West Midlands hosts the largest regional total at roughly 600,000 Muslims, centred on Birmingham, where Muslims make up close to 30% of the local population. Bradford, in Yorkshire and the Humber, has served as the heart of the British Pakistani community since large-scale textile-mill migration began in the 1960s, with Muslims now representing about 31% of that city’s population.
Beyond these five core regions, established Muslim communities exist in Cardiff, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Belfast, while historically smaller cities including Cambridge, Oxford, Bristol, and Brighton have seen growing Muslim populations linked substantially to university enrolment. Wales, by contrast, remains far less religiously diverse overall, with Muslims representing just 2.1% of its roughly 3.11 million population, concentrated mainly in Newport, which holds the highest Muslim population share of any Welsh local authority, a regional contrast that mirrors the broader diversity patterns tracked in our UK Population by Region Statistics coverage.
City-Level Muslim Population Concentration in the UK 2026
Local Authorities with Largest Muslim Populations (2021 Census)
Birmingham ████████████████████████████████████████ 341,811
Bradford ███████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 166,846
Tower Hamlets ██████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 123,912
Manchester ██████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 122,962
Newham ██████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 122,14
| Local Authority | Muslim Population (2021) |
|---|---|
| Birmingham | 341,811 |
| Bradford | 166,846 |
| London Borough of Tower Hamlets | 123,912 |
| Manchester | 122,962 |
| London Borough of Newham | 122,146 |
| Glasgow (Scotland, highest) | 48,766 (7.86%) |
| Belfast (Northern Ireland, highest) | 5,487 (1.59%) |
Source: Muslim Council of Britain, “British Muslims in Numbers: 2021 First Look Findings,” 2022; Wikipedia/Islam in the United Kingdom, citing 2021-2022 census figures.
At the local authority level, Birmingham stands well ahead of every other UK city with 341,811 Muslim residents, more than double the next-highest total in Bradford at 166,846. Three London boroughs, Tower Hamlets, Newham, alongside Manchester, round out the top five, together illustrating how Muslim population concentration spans both the capital and major northern English cities shaped by historic post-war immigration patterns.
Outside England, Glasgow holds Scotland’s largest Muslim population at 48,766, representing 7.86% of that city’s residents, notably higher than Scotland’s national average of 2.2%, while Belfast leads Northern Ireland with 5,487 Muslims, or 1.59% of the city’s population. The Muslim Council of Britain’s analysis also flags a significant deprivation concern tied to this geographic concentration: 40% of England’s Muslim population lives in the most deprived fifth of local authority districts, with almost half a million more Muslims residing in these areas compared with 2011, a disparity that continues to shape policy discussions around social mobility and equal opportunity.
Ethnic Origins and Countries of Birth of UK Muslims 2026
Country/Region of Birth for Muslims Born Outside the UK, 2021
United Kingdom-born ███████████████████████████████████ 51.0%
South Asia █████████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 25.7%
Africa ██████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 9.5%
Other Europe ███████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 6.8%
Middle East ██████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 6.0%
| Origin Metric (England and Wales, 2021) | Figure |
|---|---|
| Born in the United Kingdom | 51.0% (1,974,479 people) |
| Born in South Asia | 25.7% (993,415 people) |
| Born in Africa | 9.5% (366,133 people) |
| Born in other parts of Europe | 6.8% (262,685 people) |
| Born in the Middle East | 6.0% (231,261 people) |
| Major ethnic groups among Muslims | Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Black African, Arab |
| Punjabi speakers in the UK | 291,000 (5th most common language) |
| Urdu speakers in the UK | 270,000 (6th most common language) |
Source: Wikipedia/Islam in the United Kingdom, citing ONS Census 2021 country of birth and multivariate tables; Muslim News UK, November 2022.
More than half of Britain’s Muslims, 51.0%, were actually born in the United Kingdom, underscoring that the community is increasingly homegrown rather than solely immigration-driven, with the current generation of primary-school-aged children set to become the first majority-British-born Muslim generation in the country’s history. Among those born abroad, South Asia remains the single largest source region at 25.7%, followed by Africa (9.5%), other parts of Europe (6.8%), and the Middle East (6.0%), reflecting decades of migration from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Somalia, and Arab-majority countries.
This diversity of origin is reflected in the languages spoken across the UK more broadly, with Punjabi and Urdu now ranking as the fifth and sixth most common languages in the country, spoken by 291,000 and 270,000 people respectively. ONS multivariate data confirms that the Muslim population’s ethnic composition spans large Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Black African groups, alongside Arab, Turkish-heritage, and “White other” communities, making British Islam one of the most ethnically diverse Muslim populations found in any Western nation.
Education, Employment, and Economic Contribution of UK Muslims 2026
Degree-Level Qualification Rates, 2021 Census
Muslims ████████████████████████████████░░░░░░░ 32.3%
White British ███████████████████████████████░░░░░░░░ 31.0%
Christians ███████████████████████████████░░░░░░░░ 31.6%
| Education/Economic Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Muslims with degree-level qualifications | 32.3% |
| White British with degree-level qualifications | 31.0% |
| Christians with degree-level qualifications | 31.6% |
| Muslims with no qualifications | 25% |
| UK-born Muslim women (25-34) in top 3 occupation tiers | 56.4% |
| White British women (25-34) in same occupation tiers | 52.4% |
| Annual economic contribution of British Muslims | £70 billion+ |
| Workforce income contribution | ~£42 billion |
Source: Wikipedia/Islam in the United Kingdom, citing ONS Census 2021 education and labour market tables; Equi, 2024 economic contribution report.
Educational attainment among UK Muslims slightly exceeds both the White British and Christian populations at the degree level, with 32.3% holding degree-level qualifications compared with 31.0% and 31.6% respectively, even though a higher share of Muslims, 25%, report no formal qualifications at all, a polarization the ONS links partly to the community’s younger, more education-focused age structure alongside continuing gaps in opportunity for older or more recently arrived cohorts. Notably, among UK-born Muslim women aged 25 to 34 in employment, 56.4% worked in the three highest occupational tiers, managers, professionals, and associate professionals, outperforming the 52.4% figure recorded among White British women of the same age.
Economically, a 2024 report by Equi estimated that British Muslims generate at least £70 billion annually for the UK economy, split between roughly £42 billion in workforce income, £24.7 billion in Muslim-owned business output, and a combined £2.4 billion in charitable giving and volunteer time. This substantial economic footprint, delivered by a population with a median age markedly younger than the national average, reinforces why Muslim Council of Britain Secretary General Zara Mohammed has described the community’s youthful workforce as “a strategic national asset” for a country facing an otherwise aging population, even as she has flagged persistent deprivation concerns affecting significant portions of British Muslim communities that still require sustained policy attention.
Disclaimer: The data research report we present here is based on information found from various sources. We are not liable for any financial loss, errors, or damages of any kind that may result from the use of the information herein. We acknowledge that though we try to report accurately, we cannot verify the absolute facts of everything that has been represented.
