Which UK city has the highest proportion of Muslims?
Executive summary
Census-derived and ONS-based summaries show that London contains the largest number of Muslims of any region (about 1.28 million in 2019) while several northern cities have the highest proportions within their local populations — Bradford, Blackburn/Blackburn with Darwen, and certain metropolitan boroughs often top percentage lists (sources aggregate ONS/2016–2021 numbers) [1] [2] [3]. Available sources do not provide a single, definitive one-line answer naming the single UK city with the absolute highest proportion of Muslims in 2021, but local-authority level ONS estimates and the Muslim Council of Britain’s census synthesis point to Bradford and some smaller northern towns as having the largest shares [2] [3].
1. London leads by headcount; proportion is a different question
Official-region summaries and secondary data note London had roughly 1.28 million Muslims in 2019, making it the largest Muslim population by number in England and Wales [1]. That figure answers “where most Muslims live” but does not identify which city has the highest share of Muslims relative to its own population; larger metropolitan areas can have big absolute numbers but lower percentages than smaller towns [1].
2. Local authorities and northern towns show the highest percentages
Statista’s reflection of ONS local-authority estimates for 2016 shows where concentration is greatest by local area: Birmingham had the largest single-city Muslim population in absolute terms (~280,000 in 2016) but the highest proportions often appear in places such as Bradford, Blackburn, Oldham and Walsall when analysts examine percentages rather than totals [2] [3]. The Muslim Council of Britain, using 2021 census material, highlights cities including Bradford where Muslim communities form a very large share of the local population [3].
3. Census 2021 shifted the map — more British-born Muslims in many towns
The Muslim Council of Britain’s 2025 census summary emphasizes growth and demographic change: the UK Muslim population reached about 4 million and a large share are now UK-born, with particularly high British-born percentages in Bradford (65%), Walsall (61%) and Oldham (59%) in reporting derived from census data [3] [4]. Those local birthrates correlate with established, substantial Muslim communities in those cities and often with high local percentages of Muslims [3] [4].
4. Different sources measure different things; question framing matters
Media lists and interest-site rankings (e.g., Halal Times, HilalInfoHub) mix absolute numbers, percentages, and cultural significance, which can produce different “top city” answers depending on whether you want the largest Muslim population (London/Birmingham) or the highest proportion of residents who are Muslim (smaller northern towns) [5] [6] [2]. Readers should distinguish “most Muslims” (headcount) from “highest share” (percentage of local population).
5. What the available data do and do not say
Available sources confirm London’s lead in total Muslim population and identify Bradford, Oldham, Walsall and similar local authorities as places with especially high Muslim shares or deep community roots [1] [2] [3] [4]. Available sources do not provide an explicit, singular ranked list from the 2021 census declaring one city as the unequivocal “highest proportion” for all of the UK in a single citation; local-authority tables from ONS/Statista are presented across the sources and must be consulted directly to compute the precise 2021 percentage ranking [2] [3].
6. Competing perspectives and possible agendas in sources
Advocacy and community organisations (Muslim Council of Britain, Muslim Network TV) emphasise growth, civic contribution and shifting demographics — framing Muslims as an established, UK-born population with local policy implications [3] [4]. Commercial or interest websites (Halal Times, HilalInfoHub) offer readable “top cities” lists that can elevate particular locales for cultural storytelling; such sites sometimes prioritize narrative over strict census methodology [5] [6]. Statista and ONS‑based summaries stick closest to raw local-authority estimates [2] [1].
7. Practical next steps if you need a single definitive answer
To name the single local authority with the highest percentage of Muslims, consult the ONS local‑authority breakdown from the 2021 census or the Statista table of ONS estimates and calculate percentage share for each authority; sources cited here indicate Bradford and several northern towns are top contenders but do not publish a single definitive headline ranking within this dataset excerpt [2] [3]. Available sources do not include that precise computed ranking as a one-line claim.
Limitations: this piece relies on the provided sources only; raw ONS tables and a fully enumerated local-authority percentage ranking from the 2021 census are not reproduced in full here, so a final single-city percentage statement cannot be responsibly asserted without consulting the underlying ONS table [2] [3].