Mapping the Global Muslim Population
A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Muslim Population
October 2009
Asia Predominates
Two-thirds of all Muslims worldwide live in the 10 countries shown below. Of the 10 countries, six are in Asia (Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Iran and Turkey), three are in North Africa (Egypt, Algeria and Morocco) and one is in Sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria).
Countries with the Largest Number of Muslims
| Estimated 2009 Muslim Population |
Percentage of Population that is Muslim |
Percentage of World Muslim Population |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | 202,867,000 | 88.2% | 12.9% |
| Pakistan | 174,082,000 | 96.3 | 11.1 |
| India | 160,945,000 | 13.4 | 10.3 |
| Bangladesh | 145,312,000 | 89.6 | 9.3 |
| Egypt | 78,513,000 | 94.6 | 5.0 |
| Nigeria | 78,056,000 | 50.4 | 5.0 |
| Iran | 73,777,000 | 99.4 | 4.7 |
| Turkey* | 73,619,000 | ~98 | 4.7 |
| Algeria | 34,199,000 | 98.0 | 2.2 |
| Morocco* | 31,993,000 | ~99 | ~2 |
| * Data for Turkey and Morocco come primarily from general population surveys, which are less reliable than censuses or
large-scale demographic and health surveys for estimating minority-majority ratios (see Methodology). As a result, the
percentage of the population that is Muslim in these two countries is rounded to the nearest integer.
Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life • Mapping the Global Muslim Population, October 2009 |
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The bulk of the world's Muslim population - more than six-in-ten (62%) - is located in Asia, a region that, for the purposes of this report, includes not only East Asian countries such as China but also countries as far west as Turkey. (For a complete breakdown of countries by region, see World Muslim Population by Region and Country.)
Muslim Population by Region
| Estimated 2009 Muslim Population |
Percentage of Population that is Muslim |
Percentage of World Muslim Population |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Asia-Pacific | 972,537,000 | 24.1% | 61.9% |
| Middle East-North Africa | 315,322,000 | 91.2 | 20.1 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 240,632,000 | 30.1 | 15.3 |
| Europe | 38,112,000 | 5.2 | 2.4 |
| Americas | 4,596,000 | 0.5 | 0.3 |
| World Total | 1,571,198,000 | 22.9 | 100.0 |
| Note: The list of countries that make up each region can be found in the section titled "World Muslim Population by Region and Country." Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life • Mapping the Global Muslim Population, October 2009 |
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- Global Muslim Population: Executive Summary
- Asia-Pacific Overview
- Middle East-North Africa Overview
- Sub-Saharan Africa Overview
- Europe Overview
- Americas Overview
- Interactive Data Table: World Muslim Population by Region
- Interactive Data Table: World Muslim Population by Country
- Methodology for Muslim Population Estimates
- Methodology for Sunni-Shia Estimates
- Data Sources by Country
- About this Report