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Which UK cities had the largest changes in Muslim population between 2011 and 2025?
Executive summary
Data from the 2021 census and Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) analysis show the Muslim population in England & Wales rose from about 2.71 million in 2011 to roughly 3.87–4.0 million in 2021 — an increase of about 1.16–1.2 million (MCB figures) [1] [2]. Available sources do not provide a complete 2011→2025 city‑by‑city breakdown; most analysis focuses on the 2011→2021 decade and national or local-authority level changes rather than a 2025 city list [3] [1].
1. Rapid national growth, but the comparable city data stop at 2021
The Muslim Council of Britain’s census analysis states the Muslim population of England and Wales increased by 1.16 million between 2011 and 2021, contributing about one‑third of overall population growth in that decade [1]. Multiple summaries and media accounts likewise report about a 1.2 million rise for 2011–2021 [2] [4]. However, the provided sources analyse 2021 census outputs — they do not publish a 2011→2025 city‑level time series, so claims about changes up to 2025 are not supported by these documents [3] [1].
2. Cities known to have large Muslim populations in 2011 and 2021 — likely candidates for largest change
Reporting and MCB analysis repeatedly single out cities and boroughs with large Muslim communities — e.g., Bradford, Oldham, Walsall, London boroughs, Blackburn and Luton — as places with high Muslim shares and notable increases by 2021 [2] [5] [1]. For example, MCB notes concentration in more deprived local authority districts and that 40% of Muslims live in the most deprived fifth of districts, implying growth concentrated in particular cities and districts [1]. But the sources do not provide a ranked list of the largest absolute or percentage changes for every city between 2011 and 2021, nor up to 2025 [3].
3. What the sources do give you: examples and snapshots, not a definitive city ranking
The MCB’s “British Muslims in Numbers” and its 2025 census summary draw on 2021 outputs to highlight places where Muslims are a large share of the population and where British‑born proportions are high (e.g., Bradford 65% British‑born, Walsall 61%, Oldham 59% in the MCB summary cited by Muslim Network TV) — signaling strong local growth and demographic consolidation [2] [3]. Channel 4’s 2013 factcheck and later commentators also note cities with historically large Muslim populations such as Blackburn and Luton, but these are illustrative rather than a systematic ranking [6] [5].
4. Limits of extrapolation to 2025 and reasons for caution
Available sources present robust census counts to 2021 but do not include 2022–2025 census‑level updates for city populations; therefore any 2011→2025 statement about individual cities is an extrapolation beyond the provided data [3] [1]. Demographic change is driven by births, internal migration, international migration and changing self‑identification — all of which can shift local patterns unpredictably, and the sources caution about interpretation of identity changes in census data [6] [7].
5. Conflicting framings and political uses of the numbers
Some outlets use the same census figures to argue very different narratives: MCB frames the 2011–2021 increase as demographic growth with policy implications for services and representation [1] [3], while opinion pieces and advocacy sites present the rise as evidence of “Islamization” and a political threat, often naming cities like Blackburn or Luton to dramatize claims [5] [8] [9]. The data itself does not adjudicate those political interpretations; the sources show both descriptive analysis and polemical reuse of the figures [1] [5].
6. How to get a definitive city‑level answer
For an authoritative list of which UK cities had the largest absolute or percentage changes in Muslim population between 2011 and a post‑2021 year, you need city or local‑authority tabulations from the ONS/Scottish/NI statistical agencies (or the detailed MCB datasets if they publish sub‑local authority tables). The material provided here gives national and illustrative local detail up to 2021 but does not include a city‑by‑city 2011→2025 ranked dataset [3] [1].
Conclusion: The 2011→2021 period shows a clear, large increase in the Muslim population nationally (≈+1.16–1.2 million) and points to cities such as Bradford, Oldham, Walsall, Blackburn, Luton and parts of London as places with pronounced Muslim communities and growth. Available sources do not supply a complete, sourced ranking of UK cities’ changes through 2025; obtaining ONS/local authority census releases or the MCB’s full sub‑national tables is required to produce that definitive list [1] [3].