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Which European city has the highest percentage of Muslim residents?
Executive summary
Available sources show different ways to interpret “which European city has the highest percentage of Muslim residents” — by absolute numbers Paris (and its metro area) is repeatedly listed as having the largest Muslim population in the EU, whereas Muslim-majority cities exist in non‑EU parts of Europe (Kosovo, parts of the Balkans and some Russian republics) [1] [2]. Precise, comparable city‑level percentages are sparse in these results, and many listings focus on absolute counts or metro areas rather than consistent city‑percentage measures [3] [1].
1. What the big-picture sources say about largest Muslim populations: counts vs. percentages
Several of the provided sources emphasize absolute numbers — for example, multiple summaries derived from Wikipedia and related compilations state that Paris and its metropolitan area has the largest number of Muslims in the European Union, citing figures such as 1.7–2.5 million depending on the estimate and the definition of the metro area [1] [4]. Those same sources note that France overall has one of Europe’s largest Muslim populations [1]. By contrast, other listings and reports focus on national shares or projections rather than comparable city percentages [2].
2. Cities with the largest Muslim counts in EU reporting: Paris often tops lists
The Wikipedia-derived lists and related reproductions repeatedly report Paris as having the largest Muslim population in the EU by raw numbers — the statement “Paris has the largest number of Muslims in the European Union” appears in the archived template and list discussions [3] [1]. Some entries reference The Economist or national statistical estimates for metro Paris to reach the cited totals [1]. These sources do not, however, present a harmonized city‑percentage ranking across all European cities [3] [1].
3. Where the highest percentages are most likely to be found: non-EU cities and small municipalities
When the question is rephrased to “highest percentage,” the picture shifts toward smaller cities or municipalities in parts of the Balkans and in non‑EU European territories. Projections and country‑level breakdowns show extremely high Muslim shares in places like Kosovo (projected 93.5% by 2030) and Albania (over 80% in some projections), implying that towns and cities in those territories are Muslim‑majority and likely have much higher percentages than large Western European capitals [2]. Those country‑level figures indicate that the highest city percentages are more plausibly found outside the EU in the Balkans or in certain Russian republics rather than in major Western European metros [2].
4. Shortcomings in the available coverage: inconsistent units and sparse city‑percentage data
The provided search results mix metro‑area counts, national shares, projections and city lists compiled by third parties; they do not provide a single, authoritative table of European cities ranked by percentage Muslim residents. Several pages explicitly note difficulties in comparing data sources and definitions (e.g., metro vs. city proper, observant vs. people of Muslim descent) and point to wide variance in estimates [5] [1]. Therefore a definitive, sourced answer naming one city as “highest percentage” is not contained in these search results [3] [1].
5. Competing perspectives and why they differ
One perspective — repeated in EU‑focused compilations — treats Paris as the largest Muslim city in the European Union by population count [3] [1]. An alternative, demographic‑projection perspective highlights that the highest shares (percentages) will appear in Kosovo, Albania and parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, i.e., smaller jurisdictions with Muslim majorities, which implies their cities have higher percentages even if their absolute numbers are lower than Paris [2]. The difference stems from counting absolute numbers versus percentage of local population and from EU vs. broader Europe distinctions [1] [2].
6. Practical takeaway and how to get a definitive answer
If you mean “largest number of Muslims in a single European city or metro area,” the sources provided point to Paris/Île‑de‑France as the leading candidate within the EU [1] [3]. If you mean “highest percentage of residents who are Muslim,” the available sources indicate that cities in Kosovo and Albania or in Muslim‑majority parts of the Balkans/Russian republics will outrank Western capitals, but exact city‑by‑city percentage rankings are not supplied in these results [2] [5]. To obtain a definitive, comparable ranking you would need consistent, recent city‑level census or survey data (city‑proper populations and religion by percentage) from national statistical offices or a harmonized study such as a detailed Pew or Eurostat dataset — items not included in the current search results (not found in current reporting).