Top 10 European Countries with Largest Muslim Population
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10 May 2024 23:59 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Europe is the third continent into which Islam has entered, after Asia and Africa. Even though Islam has a deep history in the continent, several articles reveal that the percentage of Muslims in Europe is very low, namely 42.7 million in 2020.
According to the International Journal of Environmental Science and Development by Houssain Kettani, the following are the top 10 countries with the largest Muslim population in Europe based on estimated numbers as of 2020.
List of European Countries with the Largest Muslim Population
1. Russia
The number of Muslim residents in Russia was estimated at 13,621,486 in 2020. However, this figure is only around 10.14 percent of the total Russian population which reached 134,334,183. The increase in Muslim population in Russia by the same percentage has also occurred in two consecutive decades, namely in 2000 and 2010.
2. Germany
In second place is Germany which has 4,282,424 Muslim residents. This number is around 5.22 percent of the total population of 82,038,774 in 2020. Cities such as Berlin, Hamburg, and Cologne are the centers of Islamic life and culture in Germany.
3. France
France recorded an estimated Muslim population of 6,635,327 people in 2020. This figure is equivalent to 10 percent of the total population of 66,353,270. The majority of Muslims in France follow the Sunni sect. Some others also follow the Shia and Ahmadiyah beliefs.
4. Albania
Albania has an estimated population of 2,605,759 Muslims in 2020. This number is around 79.59 percent of the population in Albania, namely 3,272,979 people. Islam first came to the country under Ottoman rule.
5. United Kingdom
The UK is one of the European countries with the largest Muslim population, with 2,601,724 people in 2020. However, that figure is only around 4 percent of the UK’s 65,043,092 total population. The Islamic community in the UK primarily comes from South Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Levant.
6. Kosovo
Islam is the most widely practiced religion in Kosovo. A total of 2,223,621 people or around 93.52 percent of its total population of 2,377,696 claimed to be Muslims in 2020. The majority of Muslims in Kosovo come from Albania, Bosnia, Gorani, and Turkiye.
7. Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina had an estimated 1,879,444 Muslim residents in 2020. This number is around 43.8 percent of the country’s 4,290,968 population. The Turkiye civilization is believed to have greatly influenced the development of Islam in Bosnia and Herzegovina due to its ties to the Ottoman Empire.
8. Italy
Italy recorded a population of 1,327,931 Muslims in 2020, equivalent to 2.1 percent of its total population of 63,234,805. The history of Islam in Italy began in the 9th century during the wars of expansion carried out by North African countries.
9. Spain
The total population of Spain which adheres to Islam is estimated at 1,326,072. This number is around 2.6 percent of 51,022,777 Spain residents in 2020. Most Muslims in Spain come from Morocco, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Senegal, and Algeria. They inhabit many industrial areas, such as Andalusia, Catalonia, Madrid and Valencia.
10. Netherlands
In 10th place, the Netherlands is on the list of European countries with the largest Muslim population, namely 1,010,721 people. This number is equivalent to 5.8 percent of its total population of 17,426,219 in 2020. The Islamic community in the Netherlands is concentrated in Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, and Utrecht.
MELYNDA DWI PUSPITA
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