The list of countries with largest Islamic population in the world is long and cannot be thought to be too underminable by the long list of Christian countries. About 15% of Muslims reside in Sub-Saharan Africa, and sizeable Muslim communities are also found in the Americas, Russia, China and Europe.
Comparatively, South Asia has the largest population of Muslims in the world, with about one-third of all Muslims being from South Asia. Islam is the dominant religion in the Maldives, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. India is the country with the largest Muslim population outside Muslim-majority countries with more than 200 million adherents.
Adherents of Islam constitute the world’s second largest religious group. A projection by the PEW suggests that Muslims numbered approximately 1.9 billion followers in 2020.
Studies in the 21st century suggest that, in terms of percentage and worldwide spread, Islam is the fastest-growing major religion in the world, mostly because Muslims have more children than other major religious groups.
In 26 countries, Islam is the state religion by constitution. And statistically, we have the figures of those countries with higher numbers of Muslims in them:
- Muslim population: 1.57 billion people (23% of the world’s population – 6.8 billion), 20% of the World’s population.
- Only 15% of Muslims are Arab (Middle East)
- 62% of the World Muslim population lives in Asia and 20% in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa)
- 300 million Muslims, live in countries where Islam is not the largest religion: China (more Muslims than in Syria), India (the third-largest population of Muslims worldwide) (more Muslims than in Jordan and Libya).
Countries with Largest Islamic Population
Undoubtedly, there are about 50 countries with largest Islamic population in the world where the majority of the population is Muslim. Among them are about 30 countries with a majority Muslim population, where more than 90% of the inhabitants belong to Islam. There are another 20 countries with a Muslim population of between 50% and 80%.
Read Also: Countries with Largest Islamic Population
Indonesia
The country with the single largest population of Muslims is Indonesia in Southeast Asia, which on its own hosts 13% of the world’s Muslims.
Country |
Total Population |
Muslim percentage |
Number of Muslims |
| Afghanistan | 33,609,937 | 99% | 33,273,838 |
| Albania | 3,639,453 | 70% | 2,547,617 |
| Algeria | 34,178,188 | 99% | 33,836,406 |
| Angola | 12,799,293 | 0% | – |
| Antigua Barbuda | 85,632 | 0% | – |
| Argentina | 40,913,584 | 2.1% | 859,185 |
| Armenia | 2,967,004 | 0% | – |
| Aruba | 103,065 | 5% | 5,153 |
| Australia | 21,262,641 | 1.7% | 361,465 |
| Austria | 8,210,281 | 4.2% | 344,832 |
| Azerbaijan | 8,238,672 | 93.4% | 7,694,920 |
| Bahamas, The | 309,156 | 0% | – |
| Bahrain | 727,785 | 81.2% | 590,961 |
| Bangladesh | 156,050,883 | 83% | 129,522,233 |
| Barbados | 284,589 | 0% | 817 |
| Belarus | 9,648,533 | 5% | 482,427 |
| Belgium | 10,414,336 | 3.6% | 374,916 |
| Belize | 307,899 | 0% | – |
| Benin | 8,791,832 | 24.4% | 2,145,207 |
| Bhutan | 691,141 | 0% | – |
| Bolivia | 9,775,246 | 0% | – |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 4,613,414 | 40% | 1,845,366 |
| Botswana | 1,990,876 | 5% | 99,544 |
| Brazil | 198,739,269 | 1.1% | 2,186,132 |
| Brunei | 388,190 | 67% | 260,087 |
| Bulgaria | 7,204,687 | 12.2% | 878,972 |
| Burkina-Faso | 15,746,232 | 50% | 7,873,116 |
| Burma | 48,137,741 | 4% | 1,925,510 |
| Burundi | 8,988,091 | 10% | 898,809 |
| Cambodia | 14,494,293 | 2.1% | 304,380 |
| Cameroon | 18,879,301 | 20% | 3,775,860 |
| Canada | 33,487,208 | 1.9% | 636,257 |
| Cape Verde | 429,474 | 0% | – |
| Central African Republic | 4,511,488 | 15% | 676,723 |
| Chad | 10,329,208 | 53.1% | 5,484,809 |
| Chile | 16,601,707 | 1% | 166,017 |
| China | 1,338,612,968 | 2% | 26,772,259 |
| Colombia | 45,644,023 | 0% | – |
| The Comoros | 752,438 | 98% | 737,389 |
| Congo, Dem. Rep. Of the | 68,692,542 | 10% | 6,869,254 |
| Republic of the Congo | 4,012,809 | 2% | 80,256 |
| Costa Rica | 4,253,877 | 0% | – |
| Ivory Coast | 20,617,068 | 38.6% | 7,958,188 |
| Croatia | 4,489,409 | 1.3% | 58,362 |
| Cuba | 11,451,652 | 0% | – |
| Cyprus | 796,740 | 18% | 143,413 |
| Czech Republic | 10,211,904 | 2% | 204,238 |
| Denmark | 5,500,510 | 2% | 110,010 |
| Djibouti | 516,055 | 94% | 485,092 |
| Dominican Republic | 9,650,054 | 0% | – |
| Ecuador | 14,573,101 | 0% | – |
| Egypt | 83,082,869 | 90% | 74,774,582 |
| El Salvador | 7,185,218 | 0% | – |
| Equatorial Guinea | 633,441 | 25% | 158,360 |
| Eritrea | 5,647,168 | 80% | 4,517,734 |
| Estonia | 1,299,371 | 0.7% | 9,096 |
| Ethiopia | 85,237,338 | 32.8% | 27,957,847 |
| Fiji | 944,720 | 6.3% | 59,517 |
| Finland | 5,250,275 | 0.2% | 9,450 |
| France | 64,057,792 | 10% | 6,405,779 |
| Gabon | 1,514,993 | 0.9% | 13,635 |
| The Gambia | 1,782,893 | 90% | 1,604,604 |
| Gaza Strip | 1,551,859 | 99.3% | 1,540,996 |
| Georgia | 4,615,807 | 9.9% | 456,965 |
| Germany | 82,329,758 | 3.7% | 3,046,201 |
| Ghana | 23,832,495 | 15.9% | 3,789,367 |
| Gibraltar | 28,034 | 4% | 1,121 |
| Greece | 10,737,428 | 1.3% | 139,587 |
| Greenland | 57,600 | 0% | – |
| Guatemala | 12,974,361 | 0% | – |
| Guinea | 10,057,975 | 85% | 8,549,279 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 1,533,964 | 50% | 766,982 |
| Guyana | 772,298 | 7.2% | 55,605 |
| Haiti | 9,035,536 | 0% | – |
| Honduras | 7,792,854 | 0% | – |
| Hong Kong | 7,055,071 | 1% | 70,551 |
| Hungary | 9,905,596 | 6% | 594,336 |
| Iceland | 306,694 | 0% | – |
| India | 1,166,079,217 | 13.4% | 156,254,615 |
| Indonesia | 240,271,522 | 86.1% | 206,873,780 |
| Iran | 66,429,284 | 99% | 65,764,991 |
| Iraq | 28,945,657 | 97% | 28,077,287 |
| Ireland | 4,203,200 | 2% | 84,064 |
| Israel | 7,233,701 | 16% | 1,157,392 |
| Italy | 58,126,212 | 3% | 1,743,786 |
| Jamaica | 2,825,928 | 0% | – |
| Japan | 127,078,679 | 1% | 1,270,787 |
| Jordan | 6,342,948 | 95% | 6,025,801 |
| Kazakhstan | 15,399,437 | 47% | 7,237,735 |
| Kenya | 39,002,772 | 10% | 3,900,277 |
| Korea, North | 22,665,345 | 0% | – |
| Korea, South | 48,508,972 | 1% | 485,090 |
| Kuwait | 2,691,158 | 85% | 2,287,484 |
| the Kyrgyz Republic | 5,431,747 | 75% | 4,073,810 |
| Laos | 6,834,942 | 2% | 136,699 |
| Latvia | 2,231,503 | 0.4% | 8,480 |
| Lebanon | 4,017,095 | 60% | 2,410,257 |
| Lesotho | 2,130,819 | 10% | 213,082 |
| Liberia | 3,441,790 | 30% | 1,032,537 |
| Libya | 6,310,434 | 100% | 6,310,434 |
| Lithuania | 3,555,179 | 0.1% | 4,977 |
| Macedonia | 2,066,718 | 30% | 620,015 |
| Madagascar | 20,653,556 | 20% | 4,130,711 |
| Malawi | 14,268,711 | 35% | 4,994,049 |
| Malaysia | 25,715,819 | 52% | 13,372,226 |
| Maldives | 396,334 | 100% | 396,334 |
| Mali | 12,666,987 | 90% | 11,400,288 |
| Malta | 405,165 | 14% | 56,723 |
| Mauritania | 3,129,486 | 100% | 3,129,486 |
| Mauritius | 1,284,264 | 16.7% | 213,958 |
| Mayotte | 223,765 | 97% | 217,052 |
| Mexico | 111,211,789 | 0% | – |
| Moldova | 4,320,748 | 0.2% | 8,641 |
| Mongolia | 3,041,142 | 4% | 121,646 |
| Morocco | 34,859,364 | 98.7% | 34,406,192 |
| Mozambique | 21,669,278 | 29% | 6,284,091 |
| Namibia | 2,108,665 | 5% | 105,433 |
| Nepal | 28,563,377 | 4% | 1,142,535 |
| Netherlands | 16,715,999 | 5.8% | 969,528 |
| New Zealand | 4,213,418 | 1% | 42,134 |
| Nicaragua | 5,891,199 | 0% | – |
| Niger | 15,306,252 | 80% | 12,245,002 |
| Nigeria | 149,229,090 | 75% | 111,921,818 |
| Norway | 4,660,539 | 1.8% | 83,890 |
| Oman | 3,418,085 | 100% | 3,418,085 |
| Pakistan | 176,242,949 | 97% | 170,955,661 |
| Panama | 3,360,474 | 4% | 134,419 |
| Papua New Guinea | 6,995,655 | 0% | – |
| Paraguay | 5,734,139 | 0% | – |
| Peru | 29,546,963 | 0% | – |
| The Philippines | 97,976,603 | 14% | 13,716,724 |
| Poland | 38,482,919 | 2% | 769,658 |
| Portugal | 10,707,924 | 0.5% | 53,540 |
| Puerto Rico | 3,971,020 | 0% | – |
| Qatar | 833,285 | 100% | 833,285 |
| Reunion | 802,000 | 20% | 160,400 |
| Romania | 22,215,421 | 1% | 222,154 |
| Russia | 140,041,247 | 14% | 19,605,775 |
| Rwanda | 10,473,282 | 4.6% | 481,771 |
| Saudi Arabia | 28,686,633 | 100% | 28,686,633 |
| Senegal | 13,711,597 | 95% | 13,026,017 |
| Serbia | 7,379,339 | 3.2% | 236,139 |
| Sierra Leone | 6,440,053 | 60% | 3,864,032 |
| Singapore | 4,657,542 | 17% | 791,782 |
| Slovakia | 5,463,046 | 0.2% | 10,926 |
| Slovenia | 2,005,692 | 1.6% | 31,088 |
| Somalia | 9,832,017 | 100% | 9,832,017 |
| South Africa | 49,052,489 | 2% | 981,050 |
| Spain | 40,525,002 | 1.2% | 486,300 |
| Sri Lanka | 21,324,791 | 7.6% | 1,620,684 |
| Sudan | 41,087,825 | 70% | 28,761,478 |
| Suriname | 481,267 | 19.6% | 94,328 |
| Eswatini | 1,123,913 | 10% | 112,391 |
| Sweden | 9,059,651 | 3.1% | 280,849 |
| Switzerland | 7,604,467 | 3.1% | 235,738 |
| Syria | 20,178,485 | 74% | 14,932,079 |
| Taiwan | 22,974,347 | 0% | – |
| Tajikistan | 7,349,145 | 90% | 6,614,231 |
| Tanzania | 41,048,532 | 65% | 26,681,546 |
| Thailand | 65,905,410 | 14% | 9,226,757 |
| Togo | 6,019,877 | 55% | 3,310,932 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 1,229,953 | 12% | 147,594 |
| Tunisia | 10,486,339 | 98% | 10,276,612 |
| Turkey | 76,805,524 | 99.6% | 76,529,024 |
| Turkmenistan | 4,149,283 | 89% | 3,692,862 |
| Uganda | 32,369,558 | 12.1% | 3,916,717 |
| Ukraine | 45,700,395 | 0.5% | 205,652 |
| United Arab Emirates | 4,798,491 | 96% | 4,606,551 |
| United Kingdom | 61,113,205 | 2.7% | 1,650,057 |
| U.S. | 307,212,123 | 0.6% | 1,843,273 |
| Uruguay | 3,494,382 | 0% | – |
| Uzbekistan | 27,606,007 | 88% | 24,293,286 |
| Venezuela | 26,814,843 | 0% | – |
| Vietnam | 86,967,524 | 0.1% | 86,968 |
| West Bank | 2,461,267 | 75% | 1,845,950 |
| Western Sahara | 405,210 | 100% | 405,210 |
| Yemen | 23,822,783 | 99% | 23,584,555 |
| Zambia | 11,862,740 | 15% | 1,779,411 |
| Zimbabwe | 11,392,629 | 15% | 1,708,894 |
| World | 6,780,584,602 | 0% | 1,634,948,648 |
