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Adherents of Islam constitute the world's second largest and fastest growing major religious grouping, maintaining suggested 2017 projections in 2022.[2][3] As of 2020, Pew Research Centre (PEW) projections suggest there are a total of 1.9 billion adherents worldwide.[4][5] Further studies indicate the worldwide spread and percentage growth of Islam, may be attributed to high birth rates followed by a trend of worldwide adoption and conversion to Islam.[3][6]
Most Muslims fall under either of two main branches:
In a 2010 publication, there were 50 Muslim-majority countries.[9][10] Islam is the majority religion in several subregions: Central Asia, Western Asia, North Africa, West Africa, the Sahel, and the Middle East.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17]
The diverse Asia-Pacific region contains the highest number of Muslims in the world, surpassing the combined Middle East and North Africa (short: Mena).[18] Around 62% of the world's Muslims live in the Asia-Pacific region (from Turkey to Indonesia), with over one billion adherents.[19] Asia hosts the world's top 4 largest domestic populations, starting with Indonesia at 12.7% of the world, followed by Pakistan—11.1%, then India—10.9%, and Bangladesh—9.2%.[11][20]
Africa has the 5th and 6th largest populations in Nigeria—5.3% and Egypt—4.9%.[11][20] The Middle East hosts 7th and 8th with both Iran and Turkey holding an estimated 4.6%. Only about 20% of Muslims live in the Arab world.[21]
- ^ "Religious Composition by Country, in Percentages'". Pew Research. 18 December 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- ^ Nadeem, Reem (21 December 2022). "Key Findings From the Global Religious Futures Project". Pew Research Center. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Why Muslims are the world's fastest-growing religious group". Pew Research Center. 6 April 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
- ^ "The Future of the Global Muslim Population". 27 January 2011.
- ^ "Religion Information Data Explorer | GRF". www.globalreligiousfutures.org. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- ^ "The Future of Global Muslim Population: Projections from 2010 to 2013" Archived 9 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine Accessed July 2013.
- ^ *Islamic Beliefs, Practices, and Cultures. Marshall Cavendish Reference. 2010. p. 130. ISBN 978-0-7614-7926-0. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
Within the Muslim community, the percentage of Sunnis is generally thought to be between 85 percent, with the Shia accounting for 15.5 percent and with the wahabis controlling 5 percent, although some sources estimate their numbers at 20 percent. A common compromise figure ranks Sunnis at 90 percent and Shias at 10 percent.
- "Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Muslim Population". Pew Research Center. 7 October 2009. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
Of the total Muslim population, 10–13% are Shia Muslims and 87–90% are Sunni Muslims.
- "Quick guide: Sunnis and Shias". BBC News. 6 December 2011. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
The great majority of the world's more than 1.5 billion Muslims are Sunnis – estimates suggest the figure is somewhere between 85% and 90%.
- Frederick Denny (2010). Sunni Islam: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide. Oxford University Press. p. 3. ISBN 978-019980647-8.
Sunni Islam is the dominant division of the global Muslim community, and throughout history it has made up a substantial majority (85 to 90 percent) of that community.
- "Sunni". Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam, comprising about 85 percent of the world's over 1.5 billion Muslims.
- "Tension between Sunnis, Shiites emerging in USA". USA Today. 24 September 2007. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
Among the world's estimated 1.4 billion Muslims, about 85% are Sunni and about 15% are Shiite.
- Riaz Hassan (2008). Inside Muslim Minds. Melbourne University Press. p. 20. ISBN 9780522854817.
Approximately 20 per cent of the world's Muslims belong to the Shi'ah sect; around 80 per cent are Sunni Muslims.
- Who Gets To Narrate the World "The Sunnis (approximately 80%)"
- A world theology N. Ross Reat "80% being the Sunni"
- Islam and the Kadiyani jama'at "The Sunni segment, accounting for at least 80% of the worlds Muslim population"
- David Robertson (2002). A Dictionary of Modern Politics (Third ed.). Europa Publications. p. 252. ISBN 1-85743-093-X.
It is notable that while a large majority, probably 80%, of the world's Muslims are Sunni...
- "Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Muslim Population". Pew Research Center. 7 October 2009. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ See
- "Shiʿi". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 4 October 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
In the early 21st century some 10–13 percent of the world's 1.6 billion Muslims were Shiʿi.
- "Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Muslim Population". Pew Research Center. 7 October 2009. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
The Pew Forum's estimate of the Shia population (10–13%) is in keeping with previous estimates, which generally have been in the range of 10–15%. Some previous estimates, however, have placed the number of Shias at nearly 20% of the world's Muslim population.
- "Shia". Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. Archived from the original on 15 December 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
Shi'a Islam is the second largest branch of the tradition, with up to 200 million followers who comprise around 15% of all Muslims worldwide...
- Jalil Roshandel (2011). Iran, Israel and the United States. Praeger Security International. p. 15. ISBN 9780313386985.
The majority of the world's Islamic population, which is Sunni, accounts for over 75 percent of the Islamic population; the other 10 to 20 percent is Shia.
- "Shiʿi". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 4 October 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
- ^ Hackett, Conrad; Huynh, Timmy (22 June 2015). "What is each country's second-largest religious group?".
- ^ "Muslim-Majority Countries". The Future of the Global Muslim Population. Pew Research Center. 27 January 2011. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
- ^ a b c "Muslim Population by Country". The Future of the Global Muslim Population. Pew Research Center. Archived from the original on 9 February 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
- ^ "Region: Middle East-North Africa". The Future of the Global Muslim Population. Pew Research Center. 27 January 2011. Archived from the original on 25 July 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
- ^ "Region: Sub-Saharan Africa". The Future of the Global Muslim Population. Pew Research Center. 27 January 2011. Archived from the original on 9 March 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica. Britannica Book of the Year 2003. Encyclopædia Britannica, (2003) ISBN 978-0-85229-956-2 p.306 According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, as of mid-2002, there were 376,453,000 Christians, 329,869,000 Muslims and 98,734,000 people who practiced traditional religions in Africa. Ian S. Markham, (A World Religions Reader. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 1996.) is cited by Morehouse University as giving the mid-1990s figure of 278,250,800 Muslims in Africa, but still as 40.8% of the total population. These numbers are estimates, and remain a matter of conjecture. See Amadu Jacky Kaba. The spread of Christianity and Islam in Africa: a survey and analysis of the numbers and percentages of Christians, Muslims and those who practice indigenous religions. The Western Journal of Black Studies, Vol 29, Number 2, June 2005. Discusses the estimations of various almanacs and encyclopedium, placing Britannica's estimate as the most agreed figure. Notes the figure presented at the World Christian Encyclopedia, summarized here, as being an outlier. On rates of growth, Islam and Pentecostal Christianity are highest, see: The List: The World's Fastest-Growing Religions Archived 11 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Foreign Policy, May 2007.
- ^ Britannica Archived 14 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Think Quest Archived 18 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Wadsworth.com
- ^ Vellturo, Madeline (May 2021). "FACTSHEET: ISLAMISTS IN CENTRAL SAHEL" (PDF). UNITED STATES COMMISSION on INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- ^ "Region: Sub-Saharan Africa". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. 27 January 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
- ^ "Muslims". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. 18 December 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
- ^ "Region: Asia-Pacific". The Future of the Global Muslim Population. Pew Research Center. 27 January 2011. Archived from the original on 24 December 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
- ^ a b "Number of Muslim by country". nationmaster.com. Retrieved 30 May 2007.
- ^ See:
- Esposito (2002b), p.21
- Esposito (2004), pp.2,43