What is the percentage of Muslims in the Birmingham population compared to London in 2025?
Executive summary
Available sources report 2021 Census figures showing London’s Muslim share at about 15% and Birmingham’s at roughly 30% (Birmingham often quoted as 29.9–30%) — these are the most specific percentages in the provided material [1] [2] [3]. Sources provided do not give an official "2025" percentage; reporting and summaries typically cite 2021 census data or later estimates that reference that baseline [4] [1].
1. What the numbers in the sources actually say
The Commissioned and secondary sources in your set describe Islam’s share of population using 2021 census-based figures: Wikipedia’s Religion in Birmingham entry states 30% of Birmingham identified as Muslim in 2021 [2]. A broader UK-level article on Islam in the UK cites London as having the largest share at about 15% Muslim (noting London has both the largest Muslim population and highest proportion among major UK regions) and records just under four million Muslims nationally from the 2021 Census [1]. Local reporting in Birmingham Live repeats the 2021 Census figure of about 29.9% [3]. These are the clearest percentage figures in the provided materials [2] [1] [3].
2. Why the date matters — there’s no direct “2025 percentage” in these sources
None of the supplied documents present a formal 2025 population breakdown by religion for Birmingham or London; instead they rely on 2021 Census outputs or projections/estimates derived from earlier census data [4] [1]. The Muslim Community Bureau (MCB) census summary and Islam-in-UK material discuss trends up to 2025 as a framing year but still anchor percentages to 2021 census counts or historic growth [4] [1]. Therefore any statement that gives 2025 percentages would be an extrapolation not explicitly shown in the supplied sources (available sources do not mention an official 2025 percentage).
3. How different outlets phrase the same reality — slight variations in reporting
Local outlets and fact-checkers cite near-identical figures with minor rounding differences: Birmingham Live reports “more than 341,000 Muslims” equating to 29.9% of Birmingham’s population [3]; fact-check sites and other summaries list Birmingham at about 29.85–30% [5] [2]. London’s share is described in the Islam-in-UK overview as about 15% [1]. These small numerical differences reflect rounding and different ways of reporting counts vs. shares, not substantive disagreement in the underlying census-based picture [2] [1] [3].
4. Population counts versus percentages — context on scale
Some sources emphasize raw counts as well as percentages: Statista and ONS-derived charts note that Birmingham had one of the largest Muslim populations of any local authority (about 280,000 in some 2016 estimates), while London boroughs like Newham and Tower Hamlets have large Muslim populations too [6]. By 2021, Birmingham’s Muslim count rises in local reporting to around 341,000, which translates to roughly 29.9–30% of the city — showing both high absolute numbers and a high share relative to other major UK cities [3] [2].
5. Trend signals and interpretive caution
The MCB 2025 summary and Islam-in-UK reporting highlight growth of the Muslim population over recent decades and a younger age profile, suggesting continued demographic significance — but they do not supply a new, authoritative 2025 religious breakdown for each city [4] [1]. Analysts and media sometimes project forward, but the supplied materials rely on the 2021 census as the baseline, so projecting to 2025 requires additional data not present here (available sources do not mention a definitive 2025 city-by-city percentage).
6. Competing perspectives and potential agendas in reporting
Fact-checks and civic summaries stress that even where Muslim shares are high, claims of majority-Muslim cities are false; they cite the same 2021 figures to rebut political claims that “whole cities have essentially become Muslim” [5]. Local council and community reports emphasize inclusion and service needs of sizable Muslim populations, which can reflect advocacy priorities rather than neutral demography [7] [3]. These differing emphases reflect both corrective fact-checking aims and community-focused policy agendas [5] [3].
7. Bottom line for your original question
Using the provided sources, the best-supported comparison is: Birmingham ≈ 29.9–30% Muslim and London ≈ 15% Muslim, based on 2021 census-derived reporting cited in these materials; the sources do not provide definitive 2025 city percentages and instead reiterate or project from the 2021 census baseline [2] [1] [3]. If you want a formal 2025 figure, additional official estimates or local authority updates beyond the supplied sources would be required.