How Many Muslims in the World: A Comprehensive Global Overview

How many Muslims are there in the world? Hello, fellow knowledge seekers! Today, were going to explore a fascinating topic: the number of Muslims in the world. I will provide you with the latest and most accurate information about the global Muslim population.

How many Muslims are there in the world?

Hello, fellow knowledge seekers!

Today, we’re going to explore a fascinating topic: the number of Muslims in the world.

I will provide you with the latest and most accurate information about the global Muslim population.

Get ready for a journey through statistics and insights that will enlighten you in a concise and engaging manner.

So, let’s dive right in!

What is Islam?

Islam is a monotheistic faith that is regarded as revealed through Muhammad as the Prophet of Allah.

It emphasizes the unity of God, known as ‘Allah’ in Arabic, and Muhammad as his final messenger in a series of revelations.

The literal word of God, the Qur’an, makes known the will of God, to which humans must surrender, lending the name Islam, meaning ‘surrender’.

How is the Muslim population estimated?

The estimation of the Muslim population is based on several factors.

These include census statistics and data from surveys conducted in multiple languages.

Demographic projections also play a significant role in these estimates.

For instance, Pew Research Center projects that Muslims will make up 2.1% of the U.S. population by the year 2050.

Furthermore, current trends suggest that Muslims will make up 26.4% of the world’s total projected population of 8.3 billion in 2030.

The Global Muslim Population

Adherents of Islam constitute the world’s second-largest religious group.

As of 2020, there were approximately 1.9 billion Muslims worldwide.

This makes Islam the second-largest religion in the world, exceeded only by Christianity.

Regional Distribution

Most Muslims are either of two denominations: Sunni (87–90%, roughly 1.7 billion people) or Shia (10–13%, roughly 180–230 million people).

The majority of Muslims live in northern and central Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.

The country with the largest number of Muslims overall is Indonesia, home to an estimated 231 million Muslims.

Difference between Sunni and Shia Muslims

Sunni and Shia Muslims share the most fundamental Islamic beliefs and articles of faith and are the two main sub-groups in Islam.

However, they do differ, and that separation stemmed initially, not from spiritual distinctions, but political ones.

AspectSunni MuslimsShia Muslims
OriginsBelieve that the new leader should be elected from among those capable of the job.Believe that leadership should have passed directly to Prophet Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law, Ali.
LeadershipFollowed the elected leaders after Prophet Muhammad’s death. The first Caliph was Abu Bakr.Did not recognize the authority of elected Muslim leaders, choosing instead to follow a line of Imams which they believe have been appointed by the Prophet Muhammad or God Himself.
Current FollowersMajority of Muslims worldwide are Sunni.Minority of Muslims worldwide are Shia.

Please note that these are broad generalizations and there can be variations and overlaps among individual followers within each group.

The Future of Islam

Studies suggest that Islam is the fastest-growing major religion in the world, mostly because Muslims have more children than other major religious groups.

Many researchers project that Muslims will outnumber Christians by the year 2050.

The Muslim community, like any other, faces a variety of challenges.

These challenges are not unique to Muslims but are representative of similar problems that confronted almost all previous nascent immigrant communities.

These include a sense of suspicion, distrust, and fear that then lead to marginalization of and bigotry against them.

The range of persons with anti-Muslim sentiments have included government officials of all stripes, politicians, presidential wanna-bees, religious leaders.

It is as though Islam-bashing is a completely innocuous exercise in which not only recognized bigots can engage.

But also, anyone who needs to pick on a minority group as a scapegoat for the problems of this country.

Or the world at large can without any risk do so against Muslims.

The contributions of Muslims to the world

On the other hand, Muslims have made significant contributions to the world.

The Islamic civilization led Europe out of dark ages into the era of Enlightenment and gave rise to its Renaissance.

Muslim scientists and other intellectuals ushered in this era with accomplishments that were truly astounding with developments in all possible areas including modern medicine, chemistry and algebra.

Trigonometry, Sine, Tangent, Co-Tangent were developed by the Arabs and Ibn Moosaa’s work Hisaab-Al Jab-Wal Muqaabala (The Calculation of Integration and Equation) presented 800 examples in the 8th century CE.

His work was translated from Arabic into Latin and until the 16th century CE, it was Europe’s main textbook on the subject.

Muhammad bin Moosaa Al-Khawaarizmi is considered to be one of the founders of Algebra.

The very word ‘zero’ is a derivative of the Arabic ‘sifr’ or ‘cipher’.

Conclusion

The Muslim population is vast and diverse, spanning continents and cultures.

As we move forward into the future, it’s clear that Islam will continue to be a significant force in global religious dynamics.

So, here’s to understanding and appreciating our diverse global community!

ALSO READ: How Many Jews in the World: A Comprehensive Breakdown

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