Muslims may be a minority in most European countries, but their population is expected to grow significantly over the coming years. So, which European countries have the largest Muslim populations today?
Russia currently holds the top spot as the European country with the largest Muslim population as of 2020. According to the journal Muslim Population in Europe: 1950-2020 by Houssain Kettani, the percentage of Muslims in Europe rose from 2% to 6% between 1950 and 2020.
In this study, Europe is divided into six regions: the Balkan Peninsula, Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, the Nordic countries, Central Europe, and Southern Europe. Based on the data, here are the top 10 European countries with the largest Muslim populations as of 2020:
- Russia: 13,621,486 (10.14% of total population)
- France: 6,635,327 (10%)
- Germany: 4,282,424 (5.22%)
- Albania: 2,605,759 (79.59%)
- United Kingdom: 2,601,724 (4%)
- Kosovo: 2,223,621 (93.52%)
- Bosnia & Herzegovina: 1,879,444 (43.80%)
- Italy: 1,327,931 (2.10%)
- Spain: 1,326,072 (2.60%)
- Netherlands: 1,010,721 (5.80%)
Projected Muslim Population in European Countries by 2030
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life has also forecasted Muslim population growth worldwide by 2030. If we compare this to the 2020 data, here’s how the numbers could look by the next decade:
- Russia: 18,556,000 (14.4% of total population)
- France: 6,860,000 (10.3%)
- Germany: 5,545,000 (7.1%)
- Albania: 2,841,000 (83.2%)
- United Kingdom: 5,567,000 (8.2%)
- Kosovo: 2,100,000 (93.5%)
- Bosnia & Herzegovina: 1,503,000 (42.7%)
- Italy: 3,199,000 (5.4%)
- Spain: 1,859,000 (3.7%)
- Netherlands: 1,365,000 (7.8%)
A Quick Look at How Islam Entered Europe
According to World Atlas, Islam first arrived in Southern Europe during the 8th to 10th centuries. However, Christian conquests in the region led to the end of Islamic rule, and most of the population converted to Christianity.
Islam’s stronger influence came to Southeast Europe after the Muslim conquest of Persia in the 7th century. Then, the Muslim Ottoman Empire expanded, taking control of large territories that belonged to the Bulgarian, Serbian, and Byzantine Empires.
By the 14th and 15th centuries, the Ottoman Empire ruled vast parts of Europe with a significant Muslim population. But after the Ottoman Empire fell in 1922, the Muslim population in Europe started to decline—except in some Balkan countries, which still maintain large Muslim communities today. Most of these countries have since chosen to adopt secular governance.