What are the most densely Muslim-populated areas in London?
Executive summary
London contains the largest Muslim population in the UK: about 15% of Londoners described themselves as Muslim in census reporting, translating to roughly 1.2–1.3 million people in the capital according to summaries of 2021 data [1] [2] [3]. Tower Hamlets, Newham and parts of outer east and south London are repeatedly cited in reporting and community profiles as having the highest local concentrations, with Tower Hamlets long identified as the local authority with the single highest Muslim share [1] [4] [2].
1. Where most Muslims in Britain live — London is the clear centre
London is the UK region with the largest Muslim population and the greatest share of Muslims nationally; summaries of the 2021 census and later community reports identify London as having about 15% of its residents describe themselves as Muslim, and as the region accounting for the single largest Muslim population in England and Wales [1] [3] [2]. The Muslim Council of Britain’s “British Muslims in Numbers” census summary uses 2021 data to underline London’s scale: the capital contains a substantial plurality of Britain’s Muslim population in absolute terms [5] [6].
2. Boroughs and neighbourhoods with the highest concentrations — established pockets in east London
Tower Hamlets is repeatedly named in official and media reporting as the London borough with the highest percentage identifying as Muslim — historically approaching around 40% in past censuses and remaining the single highest local authority concentration in summaries [1] [2]. Alongside Tower Hamlets, Newham is consistently referenced as a major centre for Bangladeshi and wider Muslim communities in London; both boroughs (and adjacent east London areas) have long-standing, dense Muslim populations [1] [4].
3. Multiple dense clusters beyond the East End — diversity across the city
While east London — Tower Hamlets and Newham — is the most prominent high-concentration area, reporting and community studies show other dense Muslim communities in outer and south-east London and pockets to the north and west: Pakistani-origin communities around parts of Hounslow and Waltham Forest and west and east African Muslim communities in Peckham, Camberwell and along Old Kent Road, where Nigerians, Ghanaians, Ivorians and Somalis have formed significant local presences [4]. Wikipedia’s London entry highlights these diversified clusters and notes about 1,500 mosques in London as of 2016, reflecting geographically dispersed but locally concentrated worship and community infrastructure [4].
4. Ethnic composition matters — Bangladeshi and other communities shape local maps
The Bangladeshi community forms a large share of London’s Muslim population and is heavily concentrated in Tower Hamlets and Newham; source reporting states British Bangladeshi Muslims in London make up about 24% of the capital’s Muslim population, a larger single ethnic share than other groups [1]. Arab, African and South Asian Muslim communities also cluster in particular districts (Edgware Road/Kensington for Arabic-speaking Muslims historically; Somali communities in parts of south and east London), producing different neighbourhood footprints and local institutions [1] [4].
5. Numbers and estimates: why exact rankings vary across sources
Different summaries cite slightly different totals — for example, Statista’s use of ONS estimates gives a 2019 London Muslim population figure around 1.28 million, while other reports round to “about 1.2–1.3 million” or cite London’s Muslim share as 15% from 2021 census materials [3] [1] [2]. The Muslim Council of Britain’s 2025 census report summary reiterates the capital’s scale but focuses on social indicators (deprivation, unemployment) rather than producing a single borough ranking [5] [6]. These differences reflect the use of varying base years, ONS estimates versus direct census tabulations, and different geographic aggregations (borough level vs neighbourhoods) [5] [3].
6. What sources don’t tell us — gaps and limitations
Available sources do not provide a single definitive, up-to-date ranked list of every London ward by Muslim share; academic/local authority ward-level breakdowns would be required for precise neighbourhood rankings but are not included in the materials supplied here (not found in current reporting). Nor do the summaries fully disaggregate 2021-to-2025 changes at street or ward level in this dataset; reporting instead emphasizes borough-level concentrations and broader demographic trends [5] [6].
7. Why it matters — policy, community services and public perception
High local concentrations shape public services (education, language support, mosques) and local politics — Tower Hamlets and Newham are often cited in the public record as places where Muslim community institutions, cultural life and political representation are especially visible [1] [4]. The Muslim Council of Britain highlights associated socio-economic indicators — for example, high proportions living in deprived areas and elevated unemployment in some Muslim-majority wards — underscoring that concentration interacts with policy challenges as well as community strengths [5] [6].
If you want a precise current ranking by borough or ward, I can extract and compare borough-level percentages from the 2021 ONS census tables or pull ward-level figures — tell me whether you prefer borough or ward granularity and I will build the ranked list from the census/ONS datasets.