About 1 in 4 people in the world—1.9 billion people—are Muslim. There are 49 countries where Muslims are the majority, and they are found in nearly every other country as minorities. As a result of internet, affordable travel, and immigration, most people will interact with a Muslim sometime in their lives; probably many times. Following are the countries with the largest Muslim populations. If you’re traveling or doing business there, it’s essential to educate yourself on this religion that is central to the development of these countries. 

24/7 Wall St. Insights

• Islam is the world’s second-largest religion but it is fast catching up to Christianity in terms of the number of believers.
• The most heavily-populated Muslims societies are in South and Southeast Asia, not the Middle East.
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How Many Muslims Live in the United States?

There are about 3.5 million Muslims in the United States. For comparison, this is less than half of the American Jewish population of 7.5 million. Muslim-Americans represent ethnicities from all over the world and attendees at mosques are often very diverse. The main centers of Muslim population in the U.S. are large urban areas, including New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, Washington D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Houston, Detroit, and Atlanta.

22. Philippines

• Muslim Population: Approximately 6 million
• Interesting Fact: Islam reached the Philippines through Muslim missionaries and traders in the 14th century. Most Filipino Muslims live on the southern island of Mindanao, which has sought independence from the rest of the country.

21. Mali

• Muslim Population: Approximately 8 million
• Interesting Fact: Mali was a major center of Islamic learning in West Africa. The ancient city of Timbuktu was on a wealthy trade route and hosted large numbers of Islamic scholars and institutions. Today it is an impoverished mainly desert country that has been going through political instability and civil war. 

20. Senegal

• Muslim Population: Approximately 10 million
• Interesting Fact: Senegal, a West African country on the Atlantic coast, has a mainly Muslim population but a good reputation for protecting non-Muslim rights.

19. Tunisia

• Muslim Population: Approximately 12 million
• Interesting Fact: Tunisia is located on the Mediterranean Sea coast of Africa, close to Italy. It was formerly a French colony. It has been noted for its progressive views on women’s rights in the Muslim world, such as the right to higher education, to seek a divorce, and even a ban on burqas and hijabs in public education. The political situation has dialed back these rights somewhat in recent years.

18. Syria

• Muslim Population: Approximately 18 million
• Interesting Fact: Syria is one of the earliest geographic areas added to the Islamic world. Damascus was a significant center of learning, administration, and culture. Syria today is wracked by civil war. Millions of civilians fled abroad, but thousands are now returning from neighboring Lebanon due to the Israeli-Hezbollah war there. 

17. Russia

• Muslim Population: Approximately 20 million
• Interesting Fact: Most Russian Muslims live in the North Caucasus, Tatarstan, and Bashkortostan. Russia’s predecessor, the Soviet Union, included several Muslim countries in Central Asia, which increased the Islamic influence on other parts of the country. 

16. Yemen

• Muslim Population: Approximately 30 million
• Interesting Fact: Yemen, at the southernmost corner of the Arabian Peninsula, is the only country in the region that does not have significant oil reserves. The poverty of the country has been compounded by years of civil war and foreign military intervention. Perhaps the only up side of the lack of development has been that historic cities like Sana’a still retain much of their historic architecture and character, but this is slight consolation to the people who live there and lack basic necessities. 

15. Saudi Arabia

• Muslim Population: Approximately 31.5 million
• Interesting Fact: Saudi Arabia is where Islam started in the 7th century in the city of Mecca. Mecca today attracts Muslims from all over the world for an annual religious pilgrimages called the Hajj that is one of the religious obligations of Muslims. 

14. Morocco

• Muslim Population: Approximately 37 million
• Interesting Fact: Morocco is home to one of the largest mosques in the world, the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca. It is built directly on the coast of the Atlantic, with waves crashing against its lower walls. It symbolizes earth and sea connected in the worship of the God of creation. 

13. Afghanistan

• Muslim Population: Approximately 40 million
• Interesting Fact: Afghanistan is currently ruled by the Taliban, an Islamic fundamentalist organization that imposes some of the most severe restrictions on women and punishments on people who do not adhere to their strict interpretation of Islamic law. 

12. China

• Muslim Population: Approximately 40 million
• Interesting Fact: Muslims are nearly 2% of China’s population. One of the largest Muslim populations in the country are the Uighurs who live in the far northwestern part of the country in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.

11. Iraq

• Muslim Population: Approximately 41 million
• Interesting Fact: The Iraqi Muslim community is mainly of the Sunni branch of Islam, but significant numbers of Shiites live there as well, especially in the marshy southern part of the country. Baghdad was the capital of the Abassid Caliphate from 762-1258 AD, considered the Golden Age of Islam. 

10. Sudan

• Muslim Population: Approximately 43 million
• Interesting Fact: In ancient times Sudan was known as Nubia and had strong connections with Egypt, at times being united with it. Arab and African influences are fused in Sudan today. The future of the country is in doubt, as South Sudan has already broken away as an independent country and what remains is in the throes of civil war. 

9. Algeria

• Muslim Population: Approximately 44 million
• Interesting Fact: Islam is the state religion of Algeria, where the population is mixed between Arab, Berber, and French. A former French colony, Algeria attained independence after an 8-year civil war that ended in 1962. 

8. Iran

• Muslim Population: Approximately 83 million
• Interesting Fact: Iran is the ancient country of Persia that has historically been a rival to other regional powers for hegemony in the Middle East. Today, it follows the Shia branch of Islam unlike its Sunni neighbors. It is in a three-way power struggle with Israel and Saudi Arabia to be the dominant regional power. 

7. Turkey

• Muslim Population: Approximately 85 million
• Interesting Fact: Turkey’s population is 99% Muslim but the government is secular. Turkey is part of NATO and has long sought membership in the EU. The enormous Hagia Sophia cathedral in Istanbul was once the center of eastern Christianity, but was converted to a mosque and had four minarets added around it under Muslim rule. 

6. Egypt

• Muslim Population: Approximately 90 million
• Interesting Fact: 90% of the Egyptian population is Muslim, but Egypt also has one of the largest Christian populations in the Middle East, mainly part of the Coptic orthodox church. Egypt is home to Al Azhar University, one of the oldest Islamic educational institutions.

5. Nigeria

• Muslim Population: Approximately 97 million
• Interesting Fact: A little less than half of Nigeria’s population is Muslim. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and is poised to be a regional and international leader.

4. Bangladesh

• Muslim Population: Approximately 150 million
• Interesting Fact: When India was divided into separate Muslim and Hindu countries at the end of British colonial rule, Bangladesh was called East Pakistan and ruled from the capital in West Pakistan. Bangladesh fought a war of independence with India’s help and became an independent country in 1971

3. India

• Muslim Population: Approximately 200 million
• Interesting Fact: India became independent from British rule in 1947. The subcontinent was partitioned to separate out the Muslim-majority country of Pakistan. However, there are almost as many Muslims still living in India today, making up about 14.6% of the country’s population. The Taj Mahal, the most famous architectural monument in India, was built during the period of Muslim rule.  

2. Pakistan

• Muslim Population: Approximately 225 million
• Interesting Fact: Pakistan, established in 1947, is a bitter rival to India and the two have fought several wars. A main area of contention is the status of Kashmir, a beautiful region in the far north of both countries that has been temporarily split between them. 

1. Indonesia

• Muslim Population: Approximately 231 million
• Interesting Fact: Indonesia is 87% Muslim. Although this is a lower percentage than many other Muslim countries on this list, Indonesia still has the largest total number of Muslims of any country in the world. The culture there is an interesting fusion of local cultures, which differ from island to island across the vast country, as well as Islamic and Dutch colonial influences. 

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