Muslim population in UK doubled from 2001 to 2021

 

The Muslim population in the UK has experienced significant growth over the last 20 years, as revealed by the decennial censuses.

Here's a breakdown of the evolution based on available data, primarily from the UK censuses:

Key Census Data Points (England and Wales):

    2001 Census: 1,524,887 Muslims (3.1% of the population)

   2011 Census: 2,660,116 Muslims (5.0% of the population)

    Growth from 2001-2011: An increase of over 1.1 million people, representing a 74.4% growth in the decade.

2021 Census: 3,801,186 Muslims (6.7% of the population)

    Growth from 2011-2021: An increase of over 1.1 million people, representing a 42.9% growth in the decade.

Overall UK (including Scotland and Northern Ireland where data is available):

    2001: Approximately 1.6 million Muslims.

    2011: Approximately 2.8 million Muslims.

    2021: Approximately 4.0 million Muslims (6.0% of the total UK population).

Summary of the last 20 years (2001-2021):

The Muslim population in the UK has more than doubled in the last 20 years, growing from around 1.5-1.6 million in 2001 to nearly 4 million in 2021.

Factors contributing to this growth:

    Higher birth rates: Muslims in the UK generally have a younger age profile and higher fertility rates compared to the general population. This contributes significantly to natural population growth. In 2011, nearly half (48%) of Muslims were under 25 years old. The 2021 census data further indicates that growth is driven by a younger population born in the UK.

Immigration: While not the sole factor, continued migration from Muslim-majority countries has also played a role in the growth of the Muslim population.

Conversions: While official data is limited, estimates suggest that thousands of Britons convert to Islam each year, contributing to the growth.

Current Significance:

    Islam is the second-largest religion in the United Kingdom after Christianity.

In the 2021 census, for the first time, fewer than half of the people in England and Wales (46.2%) identified as Christian, while those with "no religion" increased significantly (to 37.2%). The growth of the Muslim population stands out against these trends.

Muslim communities are becoming more dispersed across England and Wales, although significant concentrations remain in major urban centers like London (where 15% of the population is Muslim), Birmingham, Bradford, Manchester, and parts of the West Midlands and North West. 

With "Gemini"