What percentage of the UK population identifies as Muslim in 2025?

1. What the headline numbers say — a 6% share repeated in 2025 commentary

The Muslim Council of Britain’s 2025 Census summary highlights a round figure—6%—when describing Muslims as a proportion of the overall population in the UK ^{[1] [2]}. That is the clearest single-percentage statement in the provided materials and is the number most directly presented to the public in the MCB’s 2025 summary ^{[1] [2]}.

2. The underlying census counts for England & Wales — nearly 3.9 million people

The Office for National Statistics (cited via an FOI-style page) reports Census 2021 counts showing 1,960,762 males and 1,907,371 females who reported their religion as Muslim in England and Wales — a combined total of roughly 3.87 million people ^[3]. Those raw counts underpin the percentage calculations for England and Wales, though the MCB’s 6% figure is presented as a UK-wide share in its summary ^{[3] [1]}.

3. How percentages can differ by geography and methodology

The MCB summary breaks down regional percentages (England ~6.7%, Scotland ~2.2%, Wales ~2.2%, Northern Ireland ~0.6%) and then presents an overall UK figure of about 6% ^[1]. Differences between a UK-wide percentage and England-and-Wales percentages arise because Scotland and Northern Ireland have smaller Muslim populations, and because organizations may round or harmonize numbers differently when producing a headline share ^[1].

4. Why some sources cite different projections or future estimates

Third‑party data aggregators like Statista report historical shares and long-range projections (for example, referencing a UK Muslim share rising from 6.3% in 2016 toward higher percentages by mid-century) — these are projection-based, not census counts ^[4]. The MCB’s 6% is framed as a snapshot tied to recent census reporting rather than a long-term projection ^{[1] [2] [4]}.

5. What the data say about demographics and social context

The MCB summary and related reporting emphasize that Britain’s Muslim communities are relatively young and concentrated in certain urban areas; the MCB also highlights socioeconomic indicators such as high unemployment in many areas where Muslims live (68% cited for England and Wales locations in the MCB material) ^[2]. Wikipedia’s coverage draws from various studies and polling in 2025 about public attitudes toward Islam and reporting on community distributions, underlining that statistical totals coexist with social and political dynamics ^[5].

6. Limitations, open questions and what the sources do not say

Available sources do not provide a single definitive UK government percentage labeled “2025 Muslim share” beyond the MCB’s summary figure of 6% ^{[1] [2]}. The ONS material gives detailed counts for England and Wales but the provided materials do not include a complete ONS-published UK-wide percentage explicitly dated to 2025 in these extracts ^[3]. Different organizations may round or present slightly different totals depending on whether they include estimates for Scotland and Northern Ireland, migration adjustments, or population projections ^{[1] [4]}.

7. Bottom line and how to read these figures

If you need a single, simple answer drawn from the provided reporting: the Muslim Council of Britain’s 2025 summary presents Muslims as about 6% of the UK population ^{[1] [2]}. For precise, granular analysis use the ONS census counts for England and Wales (roughly 3.87 million people identifying as Muslim in Census 2021) and seek the latest ONS publications for a formally computed UK-wide percentage and any post‑2021 adjustments — the ONS counts are the underlying datapoint cited here ^[3].