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.