Muslims - the facts
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Andy Johnstone / Panos Pictures
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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 populations3
| Country |
Number of Muslims |
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| Indonesia |
170,310,000 |
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| Pakistan |
136,000,000 |
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| Bangladesh |
106,050,000 |
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| India |
103,000,000 |
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| Turkey |
62,410,000 |
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| Iran |
60,790,000 |
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| Egypt |
53,730,000 |
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| Nigeria |
47,720,000 |
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| China |
37,108,000 |
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
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Frits Meyst / Panos Pictures
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- Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRTCIC), Ankara, Turkey.
- National Geographic Magazine, January 2002.
- http://www.adherents.com - an independent non-affiliated website of 4,200 religions
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Voices from the margins:
Multimedia: video, podcasts, and more.
- Poetry Slam in Zimbabwe
- The House of Hunger poetry slam held in Zimbabwe in 2006, and organised by the Pamberi Trust, showcased young artists performing inspirational work on issues from corporate power to child soldiers. The video features four of the poets.
Published by Pambazuka News.
- Iranian women speak out
- 3 March 2007, London. Women's rights activists marched through the English capital last week to celebrate International Women's Day with a protest against the misogyny of the Islamic regime in Iran and the threat of invasion by the US. Hear the voices of Iranian feminists Azar and Leila Parnian and the sounds of the demonstration as it passed through the heart of the city. Click here to learn more about the campaign.
Produced by Heidi Bachram.
- Raised Voices audio:
- Benny from West Papua on Corporate Power
- Vinayan from India on agriculture
