London has the largest population and greatest proportion (15%) of Muslims in the country. The vast majority of British Muslims in the United Kingdom adhere to Sunni Islam, while smaller numbers are associated with Shia Islam.
About 13% of Muslims live in Indonesia, the largest Muslim-majority country; 31% of Muslims live in South Asia, the largest population of Muslims in the world; 20% in the Middle East–North Africa, where it is the dominant religion; and 15% in Sub-Saharan Africa and West Africa (primarily in Nigeria).
South Asians. Most of the UK's Muslims hail from Pakistani and Bangladeshi backgrounds. Historically, Muslim migrants from Pakistan and Bangladesh as well as a smaller number of Indian Muslims settled in areas where manufacturing and textiles provided the main employment.
Pakistanis in London form the largest concentrated community of British Pakistanis; immigration from regions which now form Pakistan predate Pakistan's independence.
24 Hours in East London’s Muslim Area | Apostate Prophet
Which city in the UK has the highest proportion of Muslims?
The settlements with large number of Muslims are Bradford, Luton, Blackburn, Birmingham, London and Dewsbury. There are also high numbers in High Wycombe, Aylesbury, Slough, Leicester, Manchester and the mill towns of Northern England. Muslim population in English local authority areas.
Notably, Bradford, often referred to as 'Bradistan' or 'Little Pakistan,' has the third-largest Pakistani population, following London and Birmingham. Here, the essence of Pakistani culture sprouts from every corner, particularly at the Bradford Bazaar.
After Christianity, the religions with the most adherents are Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism, Buddhism, modern paganism, and the Bahá'í Faith. There are also organisations promoting irreligion, including humanism and atheism. In the 2021 census, Shamanism was the fastest growing religion in England.
Major Muslim populations in the UK have their origins in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Yemen and Somalia. Following migration from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan) in the 1950s and 1960s, South Asian Muslims settled in the major industrial towns and cities of the Midlands, northern England and London.
Wales has been home to a Muslim population since at least the mid 1800s when Muslim workers, especially Somali and Yemeni seafarers settled in the new Welsh ports, most notably in the Butetown area of Cardiff. The first purpose built mosque in Wales, the Peel Street Mosque was completed in 1947 in Cardiff.
The Detroit metropolitan area is home to the largest concentration of Arab Americans (403,445), followed by the New York City Combined Statistical Area (371,233), Los Angeles (308,295), San Francisco Bay Area (250,000), Chicago (176,208), and the Washington, D.C., area (168,208).
The greatest concentration can be found in the east London boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham and Redbridge, where Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, and Indians tend to predominate. Outside of east London, Bangladeshi Muslims have settled throughout the city, in boroughs like Merton, Southwark, and Hackney.
Large-scale immigration of Muslims to Britain began after World War II, as a result of the destruction and labour shortages caused by the war. Muslim migrants from former British colonies, predominantly India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, were recruited in large numbers by government and businesses to rebuild the country.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, Germany has up to 4,000 converts a year. According to The Guardian, about 5,000 British people convert to Islam every year, mostly women. According to The New York Times, 25,000 Americans convert to Islam every year.
Their contributions to the economy are substantial, with Muslim-led businesses generating billions of pounds and creating thousands of jobs. A recent report by the Equi think-tank estimated that British Muslims generate £70 billion a year for the UK economy through income, business and charitable giving.
The UK is home to the largest Pakistani community in Europe, with the population of British Pakistanis exceeding 1.6 million based on the 2021 Census. British Pakistanis are the second-largest ethnic minority population in the United Kingdom and also make up the second-largest sub-group of British Asians.
It is the second largest city of Azad Kashmir and the 74th most populous city in Pakistan. A significant portion of the population from the district, the Mirpuri diaspora, migrated to the United Kingdom in the mid-to-late 1950s and in the early 1960s. Mirpur is thus sometimes known as "Little England".
The metropolis of Karachi is known as “Mini Pakistan,” with people from every part of the country uniting in a sharing of unique languages, cultures, cuisines, and customs.
