These Are The Countries With The Largest Muslim Populations
Islam is the world’s second-largest relgion and 1.8 billion Muslims are spread across every continent.
The visualization below, via Visual Capitalist’s Pallavi Rao, ranks each country by the number of adherents, along with their share in the population revealing where Muslim communities are largest.
The data for this visualization comes from two complementary sources: Pew Research, which tracks global religious affiliation, and the CIA World Factbook, which publishes the latest national demographic splits.
Due to data restrains, the most recent figures between 2020–2023 have been used, depending on availability per country.
Ranked: Countries With the Most Muslims
Indonesia (242 million), Pakistan (235 million), India (213 million), and Bangladesh (150 million) alone account for nearly 40% of the world’s Muslims.
Each of these densely populated nations has seen steady population growth over the past two decades, and fertility rates in Pakistan and Bangladesh remain above the global average.
Together, they underscore the demographic weight of South and Southeast Asia, regions sometimes overlooked when the focus is on the Middle East.
Rank
Country
# of Muslims
Share of Population
1
🇮🇩 Indonesia
242M
87.0%
2
🇵🇰 Pakistan
235M
96.3%
3
🇮🇳 India
213M
15.3%
4
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
150M
91.0%
5
🇳🇬 Nigeria
124M
53.5%
6
🇪🇬 Egypt
104M
95.0%
7
🇮🇷 Iran
88M
99.8%
8
🇹🇷 Turkey
84M
97.0%
9
🇸🇩 Sudan
46M
99.0%
10
🇩🇿 Algeria
43M
98.0%
11
🇪🇹 Ethiopia
37M
31.3%
12
🇮🇶 Iraq
40M
98.0%
13
🇦🇫 Afghanistan
39M
99.7%
14
🇲🇦 Morocco
37M
99.0%
15
🇾🇪 Yemen
31M
99.1%
16
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan
28M
88.0%
17
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
29M
92.7%
18
🇨🇳 China
25M
1.4%
19
🇳🇪 Niger
25M
99.3%
20
🇲🇾 Malaysia
21M
63.5%
21
🇲🇱 Mali
20M
93.9%
22
🇸🇾 Syria
20M
87.0%
23
🇹🇿 Tanzania
22M
34.1%
24
🇸🇴 Somalia
13M
99.8%
The presence of Malaysia and Uzbekistan in the top 20 further highlights Asia’s central role in shaping global Muslim demographics.
Muslim-Majority and Muslim-Plurality States in Africa
Meanwhile, Africa is home to some of the fastest-growing Muslim populations.
Nigeria, already the continent’s most populous country, now counts more than 124 million Muslims, over half its citizens.
In North Africa, Egypt and Algeria each report that roughly 95-98% of their inhabitants identify as Muslim, reflecting centuries-old cultural and religious continuity.
Across the Sahel, countries like Niger and Mali post near-complete Muslim majorities, even as they grapple with rapid urbanization and climate pressures that influence migration patterns.
Minorities in Demographic Giants: India and China
While India’s 213 million Muslims comprise only 15% of its population, that minority is larger than the total populations of most countries.
China’s Muslim share is just 1.4%, yet the absolute number—25 million—is comparable to the entire population of Australia.
These examples illustrate how sheer population size can translate even small percentages into tens of millions of adherents.
Demographers expect India’s Muslim community to surpass Indonesia’s by mid-century if current fertility differentials persist, potentially redrawing the global ranking.
If you enjoyed today’s post, check out America’s Religious Landscape on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 09/03/2025 – 02:45
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/these-are-countries-largest-muslim-populations