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.
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.
The presence of Malaysia and Uzbekistan in the top 20 further highlights Asia’s central role in shaping global Muslim demographics.
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.
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.