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How does the Muslim population in Paris compare to other European cities?
Executive summary
Estimates put France among the European countries with the largest Muslim populations in absolute terms—commonly cited as roughly 5–7 million people (around 7–10% of France’s population) and Paris/Île‑de‑France as a major concentration, with about one‑third of France’s Muslim population living around Paris [1] [2]. Exact figures for Paris itself are uncertain because French law bans collecting religion in official censuses, so researchers rely on proxies and surveys that produce a range of estimates [3] [4].
1. Why comparisons are hard: France’s data rules and methodological limits
France’s principle of laïcité means the state does not collect religion or ethnicity data in censuses, so official numbers for Muslims in Paris or France do not exist; most widely used figures come from academic estimates, community leaders, surveys and country‑of‑origin proxies — all of which vary and carry significant uncertainty [3] [1]. Reuters explicitly notes that claims such as “29% of Parisian schoolchildren are Muslim” rely on secondary sources like the Trajectoires et Origines survey and that national statistics often cannot directly confirm city religion shares [4].
2. How big is the Muslim population in France and Paris compared with other European cities?
Multiple sources place France at or near the top in absolute Muslim numbers in Western Europe: commonly cited estimates are roughly 5–7 million Muslims nationwide (about 7–10% of the population), making France one of the largest Muslim populations in Europe alongside Germany, the UK and Russia depending on scope [1] [5] [6]. Brookings reports that a large share of France’s Muslim population is concentrated around Paris—about one‑third—so the Paris region is a major European Muslim population center [2].
3. City‑level comparisons: Paris versus Vienna, Berlin, London and others
Comparative claims about city shares are often based on school or local surveys rather than uniform national statistics, which complicates direct city‑to‑city ranking. Reuters flagged a 2025 graphic that compared Muslim shares of schoolchildren across European cities and pointed out varying data coverage—for example, Vienna’s city survey (41% of state elementary/middle school students in 2025) matched a city source but excluded private and federal schools, showing how sampling frame matters [4]. Gallup and other comparative studies likewise use targeted sampling frames (e.g., neighborhoods with a minimum Muslim penetration), so differences can reflect methodology as much as demography [7].
4. Paris’s internal geography: suburbs, arrondissements and concentrations
Reporting and research highlight that Muslim populations in the Paris metropolitan area are unevenly distributed, with higher concentrations in some suburbs (banlieues) and particular arrondissements; Seine‑Saint‑Denis, parts of the 18th–20th arrondissements and other suburbs are repeatedly noted as having high proportions of residents of North African or Sub‑Saharan origin—groups that make up much of France’s Muslim community [8] [9]. Euro‑Islam and academic pieces emphasize that much of the Paris region’s immigrant and Muslim populations live outside the central city limits in the wider Île‑de‑France [8] [3].
5. Absolute numbers vs. shares and youth composition
Different studies stress absolute numbers (France often cited as 5–7 million Muslims) while others focus on shares of particular populations (e.g., schoolchildren). BBC and Brookings coverage noted France hosts one of the biggest Muslim communities in the EU and that a substantial share is young; these attributes shape public debate and policy but are derived from surveys and demographic modelling rather than census religion questions [10] [2].
6. Competing estimates and agendas: interpretation matters
Estimates vary by source and sometimes reflect implicit agendas: community leaders, academic studies, media outlets and advocacy groups produce different figures (e.g., 3–4 million up to 6–7 million), and some outlets emphasize “boom” narratives while others highlight integration challenges or the limits of available data [11] [12] [1]. Researchers warn that using proxies (country of birth, ancestry, school religion surveys) can over‑ or under‑estimate Muslim populations; Reuters flagged instances of inflated or poorly sourced charts and urged caution [4].
7. Bottom line for the reader
Available reporting consistently places France—and the Paris/Île‑de‑France area—among the European leaders in absolute Muslim population, with roughly one‑third of the national Muslim population concentrated around Paris; however, the precise share in Paris proper and comparative city rankings depend on differing methods and provisional surveys because France does not record religion in official statistics [2] [3] [4]. When you see specific city percentages, check whether they refer to schoolchildren, local surveys, or population-wide estimates and which institutions provided the data.