How does the geographic distribution of Muslims vary across UK regions, cities, and local authorities?
Executive summary
The 2021 Census shows about 4 million people identifying as Muslim in Britain, concentrated in England where Muslims make up about 6.7% of the population, with much smaller shares in Scotland (2.2%), Wales (2.2%) and Northern Ireland (0.6%) [1]. Within England and Wales, more than half of Muslims were born in the UK (about 1.97 million, 51.0%), with large South Asian (25.7%) and African (9.5%) born minorities, and sizeable communities particularly in Greater London and other major cities [2] [1].
1. Dense urban concentrations: London and other city strongholds
The Muslim population is heavily urbanised, with Greater London hosting the largest Muslim communities in the country; Wikipedia and the Muslim Council of Britain census summary both highlight London as the principal centre and note significant Muslim presence in Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool [2] [1]. The Muslim Council of Britain’s analysis of 2021 census material frames British Muslims as a “kaleidoscope of communities” that cluster in major cities where historical migration, labour markets and family networks produced dense local communities [3].
2. Regional contrasts across the UK
Census-derived shares differ markedly by nation: England records the highest Muslim share at 6.7%, while Scotland and Wales register roughly 2.2% each, and Northern Ireland is about 0.6% [1]. These national percentages reflect both historical migration patterns—South Asian and African migration primarily to England’s urban centres—and differing scales of overall population; the MCB summary and ONS releases present those headline regional shares directly from the 2021 census data [1] [4].
3. Local-authority and neighbourhood variation
Available sources describe big differences at the local authority and neighbourhood level even within regions: many Muslim residents are concentrated in particular boroughs and urban wards rather than evenly spread across cities. The MCB report draws on 2021 census geography to highlight areas with high Muslim shares and with linked socio-economic challenges such as unemployment in many of those areas [3] [1]. Specific local-authority figures are not reproduced in these summaries, but the pattern of concentrated pockets is emphasised [3].
4. Demography and nativity: how birthplace shapes distribution
In England and Wales, just over half of Muslims (about 1,974,479 people, 51.0%) were born in the UK; the next-largest birthplace group is South Asia (993,415, 25.7%), followed by Africa (366,133, 9.5%), other Europe (262,685, 6.8%) and the Middle East (231,261, 6.0%) [2]. These nativity patterns help explain geographic clustering: communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Somalia, for example, have long-established settlement patterns in particular cities and neighbourhoods [2].
5. Age, gender and social context that shape geography
The census material and MCB analysis note that British Muslim communities are younger on average today, implying different local service needs and potential changes in spatial patterns as age structures shift [1]. The ONS FOI summary gives the 2021 counts by sex in England and Wales: approximately 1,907,371 females and 1,960,762 males reported Muslim religion, a balance that feeds into household and labour-market geographies [4].
6. Competing interpretations and political framing
MCB frames these distributions as evidence of internal diversity and calls attention to socio-economic challenges (high unemployment in many Muslim-concentrated areas) and the need for targeted services [3] [1]. Wikipedia’s overview highlights the ethnic and national origins that inform community geographies and notes long-established pockets [2]. These sources differ in emphasis: MCB foregrounds inequality and policy responses; encyclopaedic summaries catalogue origins and settlement history [3] [2].
7. Limitations and gaps in the reporting
The provided materials summarise national and broad regional patterns and offer selected local illustrations, but they do not supply a complete, itemised breakdown of all local authorities or ward-level shares in one place; specific local-authority percentages and a full map of distribution are not included in the summaries provided here [1] [3] [2]. For ward-level detail and interactive mapping, the original ONS census tables and local authority releases would be required—available sources do not mention a full local-authority table in these summaries [3].
8. What this means for policy and public debate
High urban concentration and youthful age profiles mean local services, education and employment policies in certain boroughs will disproportionately affect Muslim communities; the MCB explicitly links census geography to economic vulnerability and service planning [3] [1]. Public debate about migration, integration and resource allocation draws on these spatial facts; the sources show the same census numbers can be used to argue both for targeted investment and for broader integration measures [3] [2].