How does the Muslim population in Manchester compare to London in 2025?

1. Manchester: a city where Muslims are a sizable share of the population

Manchester’s Muslim share is commonly reported around 20–22% of city residents, a figure reflected in multiple mappings and a recent New York Times profile that put Muslim identification at about one-fifth of Manchester’s roughly 550,000 urban population ^{[1] [2]}. That concentration means Muslim communities are highly visible in city life, civic institutions and services, and the demographic is comparatively young — a pattern noted across northern English cities and highlighted in regional analyses of Greater Manchester’s ethnic and religious profile ^{[6] [7]}.

2. London: lower percentage but far larger numbers in absolute terms

London’s Muslim share is lower as a percentage — commonly reported near 15% of residents in 2025 — yet because London’s total population is several times that of Manchester, the capital houses the largest Muslim population in absolute numbers in the UK ^{[3] [1]}. London also contains highly concentrated sub-communities — for example, large Bangladeshi and Arab Muslim populations in boroughs such as Tower Hamlets, Newham and parts of west and north London — which shape local cultures and politics in ways that raw citywide percentages can obscure ^[8].

3. Different geographies, different compositions

The Muslim populations of Manchester and London differ not only by size and share but by ethnic mix and settlement patterns: London’s Muslim community includes large Bangladeshi and Arab presences and a wide spread across boroughs, whereas Manchester and Greater Manchester have substantial Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Somali and other South Asian and East African-origin communities concentrated in particular wards and towns across the conurbation ^{[8] [6] [9]}. These compositional differences affect language use, religious institutions, and local political representation, and they mean experiences within “Muslim communities” are far from uniform ^[4].

4. Age, deprivation and social indicators matter for interpretation

National and civic reports stress that British Muslim communities are younger on average and are overrepresented in more deprived areas, a dynamic visible in both London and Greater Manchester and one that shapes schooling, employment and public services ^{[4] [7]}. The Muslim Council of Britain’s census summary underscores that many Muslim households live in areas with higher unemployment and deprivation, a point that tempers purely numerical comparisons with social reality ^{[4] [5]}.

5. Absolute numbers vs. percentage share: why both matter

Comparing Manchester and London requires distinguishing percentage share from absolute population. A 15% Muslim share in a megacity like London translates to a larger community in raw numbers than a 20% share in Manchester; conversely, a higher local share in Manchester yields greater local visibility and political weight within that city ^{[1] [2]}. Policy, representation and services respond to both metrics — councils plan around local concentration, while national organisations and faith bodies consider total population for resource allocation ^[4].

6. Caveats, data limits and competing estimates

Most widely cited figures for 2025 draw on 2021 census data, expert summaries and extrapolations; some web-based maps and articles use slightly different baselines and produce varying percentages ^{[4] [1] [9]}. The Muslim Council of Britain and mapping projects offer authoritative snapshots, but estimates for 2025 remain subject to migration flows, differential fertility and local demographic change that post-date 2021 census collection — a limitation present in several of the sources used ^{[4] [9]}.