Muslim Population Figures

According to an October 2009 report by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, "Mapping the Global Muslim Population," nearly 1 out of 4 people in the world is Muslim. There are approximately 1.57 billion Muslims in the world, representing about 23 percent of the total global population of 6.8 billion. The Middle East-North Africa region contains the highest percentage of Muslim-majority countries compared with other regions. An overwhelming majority of Muslims are Sunnis, while an estimated 10-13% (between 154 million and 200 million) are Shias. Most Shias, between 68% and 80%, live in Iran, Pakistan, India and Iraq.

Muslim Population of the World by Region

 
Estimated 2009 Muslim Population
Percentage of Population that is Muslim
Percentage of World Muslim Population
Asia-Pacific
972,537,000
24.1%
61.9%
Middle East-North Africa
315,322,000
91.2%
20.1%
Sub-Saharan Africa
240,632,000
30.1%
15.3%
Europe
38,112,000
5.2%
2.4%
Americas
4,596,000
0.5%
0.3%
World Total
1,571,198,000
22.9%

100.0%

Top Ten Muslim Countries by Population

  1. Indonesia: 202,867,000 (country is 88.2 percent Muslim)

  2. Pakistan: 174,082,000 (country is 96.3 percent Muslim)

  3. India: 160,945,000 (country is 13.4 percent Muslim)

  4. Bangladesh: 145,312,000 (country is 89.6 percent Muslim)

  5. Egypt: 78,513,000 (country is 94.6 percent Muslim)

  6. Nigeria: 78,056,000 (country is 50.4 percent Muslim)

  7. Iran: 73,777,000 (country is 99.4 percent Muslim)

  8. Turkey: 73,619,000 (country is about 98 percent Muslim)

  9. Algeria: 34,199,000 (country is 98 percent Muslim)

  10. Morocco: 31,993,000 (country is about 99 percent Muslim)

Source: Pew Research Center: "Mapping the Global Muslim Population" [pdf], CNN