In 2022, Indonesia has the largest population of Muslims worldwide with around 241.5 million. This was followed with around 225.6 million Muslims in Pakistan and 211.16 million Muslims in India.

In 2024, Nigeria had the largest Muslim population in Africa, with around 105 million people who belonged to an Islamic denomination. Egypt and Algeria followed with 90.4 million and 39.4 million Muslims, respectively. Muslims have a significant presence in Africa, with an estimated 50 percent of the continent's population identifying as Muslim. The spread of Islam in Africa began in the 7th century with the arrival of Arab traders, and it continued through Islamic scholars and missionaries.

In 2021, Muslims around the world spent a total of two trillion U.S. dollars across the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, fashion, travel, and media/recreation sectors. The global Muslim market has the potential to grow to about 2.8 trillion dollars by 2025. The largest market for Muslim consumers is the halal food and beverage sector.

Spain has a long history of Islamic tradition under its belt. From cuisine to architecture, the southern European country has been linked to the North of Africa through many common elements. At the end of 2023, there were approximately 2.41 million Muslims in Spain, most of them of Spanish and Moroccan nationality, with upwards of eight hundred thousand believers in both cases. With a Muslim population of more than 660,000 people, Catalonia was home to the largest Muslim community in Spain as of the same date.

The not so Catholic Spain

Believers of a religion other than Catholicism accounted for approximately 3 percent of the Spanish population, according to the most recent data. Although traditionally a Catholic country, Spain saw a decline in the number of believers over the past years. Compared to previous years, when the share of believers accounted for slightly over 70 percent of the Spanish population, the Catholic community lost ground, while still being the major religion for the foreseable future.

A Catholic majority, a practicing minority

Going to mass is no longer a thing in Spain, or so it would seem when looking at the latest statistics about the matter: 50 percent of those who consider themselves Catholics almost never attend any religious service in 2024. The numbers increased until 2019, from 55.5 percent of the population never attending religious services in 2011 to 63.1 percent in 2019. The share of population that stated to be practicing believers and go to mass every Sunday and on the most important holidays accounted for only 15.5 percent.

In 2020, Mexico had a Muslim population of 7,982 people. Mexico City, with 1,636, was the state with the biggest Muslim community in the country. Mexico State was the only other federal entity with more than 1,000 Muslims.

In 2024, Ethiopia had the largest Christian population in Africa, with around 77.5 million people who identified as Christian. The second highest Christian population was in Nigeria, with 74.4 million people. Christianity has a significant presence in Africa, with its history on the continent dating back to the fourth century in Ethiopia. Furthermore, Christianity has spread throughout Africa with different denominations and traditions, taking root in various regions. Some of the largest Christian denominations in Africa include the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, and the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements.

The Hajj to Mecca in Saudi Arabia is considered the world’s largest human gathering with almost 1.84 million pilgrims in 2023. The Saudi government restricted Hajj to residents in Saudi Arabia only during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The number of Hajj pilgrims dropped to about 58.7 thousand in 2021. Like other religious pilgrimages, Hajj is considered an annual rite of passage to renew ones moral and spiritual connection. Approximately a quarter of the human population identify themselves as Muslims . According to their faith of Islam, it is one of their five religious duties to perform the Hajj at least once in their lifetime.

Who are the pilgrims?

According to Islamic tradition, any Muslim who has reached maturity is due to perform the Hajj. During the last Hajj season before the COVID-19 pandemic, about two thirds of the pilgrims to Mecca came from outside of the Saudi Arabian Kingdom. The government of Saudi Arabia issues each years’ Hajj visas on a country quota system, based on the size of the Muslim population .

Financial aspects

 
One main condition for a mature Muslim to qualify to perform the Hajj is to be free of debt and other financial and social obligations. Many Muslims around the world spend a significant amount of their life-savings to be able to make this spiritual journey. As an example, the cost of performing Hajj for a Malaysian Muslim was calculated at about 22.45 thousand Malaysian ringgits. For first time Hajj pilgrims, the Malaysian government subsidizes more than half of that amount.

Some Muslims who can’t afford the financial or physical challenges of the Hajj sometimes perform the smaller Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca called Umrah, which can be attempted all year round.

As of July 2024, the population of Selangor was estimated at approximately 7.4 million. Selangor is Malaysia's most populous state, as well as the state with the largest economy in terms of gross domestic product. The Golden Peninsula Malaysia is comprised of 13 states and three Wilayah Persekutuan (WP) or federal territories, which include Labuan, an offshore financial center on the east; the nation’s capital, Kuala Lumpur; and the administrative center, Putrajaya - both on the west. The aforementioned two federal territories on the west are enclaves within Selangor. In addition to that and the many points of interest it has to offer, Selangor is Malaysia’s most visited state among domestic tourists. Darul Ehsan – The Abode of Sincerity Selangor is a sultanate, ruled by Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah since 2001. Located on the west coast of the Malaysian peninsula, the state hosts the country’s two main transportation hubs: Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Port Klang, the country’s largest port.The state is also Malaysia’s largest economy, which contributes a big part to Malaysia’s overall GDP per capita. With the prime location, good infrastructure, and two federal territories within, Selangor will continue to attract more people for work, travel, or more.

In 2018, the estimated average inflation rate in Pakistan amounted to about 3.93 percent compared to the previous year, a slight drop from 2017, but an ever sharper one compared to four years earlier. Over the next few years, forecasts estimate it to level off at around 6.5 percent.

Pakistan‘s more or less fragile economy

Pakistan is one of the most populous countries in the worldwith a large Muslim population and a rather low urbanization rate, which means that the majority of Pakistanis live in rural areas. However, the majority of the country's GDP is generated by the services sector, which also employs most of the workforce. As of now, Pakistan’s economic growth seems stable, but that wasn’t always the case.

Stable growth ahead?

Like many others, Pakistan’s economy suffered during the 2009 financial crisis, and while it has recovered today, inflation was still over 10 percent in 2012. GDP slumped during that time as well, but now, ten years later, it has almost tripled and seems to be on an upward trend. Although its GDP generation now mainly relies on services, Pakistan still exports agricultural goods like cotton. However, the country still struggles with an increasing trade deficit and thus rising national debt – two factors that could hinder economic growth in the future.

In 1800, the population of the region of present-day India was approximately 169 million. The population would grow gradually throughout the 19th century, rising to over 240 million by 1900. Population growth would begin to increase in the 1920s, as a result of falling mortality rates, due to improvements in health, sanitation and infrastructure. However, the population of India would see it’s largest rate of growth in the years following the country’s independence from the British Empire in 1948, where the population would rise from 358 million to over one billion by the turn of the century, making India the second country to pass the billion person milestone. While the rate of growth has slowed somewhat as India begins a demographics shift, the country’s population has continued to grow dramatically throughout the 21st century, and in 2020, India is estimated to have a population of just under 1.4 billion, well over a billion more people than one century previously. Today, approximately 18% of the Earth’s population lives in India, and it is estimated that India will overtake China to become the most populous country in the world within the next five years.

Since 1999, the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, has attracted millions of people worldwide each year. The largest number of pilgrims was recorded between 2010 and 2012, with nearly one million more foreign pilgrims than in previous years. After opening to foreign pilgrims again, the ritual drew in nearly 800,000 visitors - a figure that was heavily regulated and capped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of 2023, 1.66 million Muslims from outside of Saudi Arabia performed the Hajj pilgrimage.

The Hajj

Millions of people flock to Mecca each year for a five- to six-day religious pilgrimage. In addition to thousands of local worshippers, there are millions of foreign religious pilgrims. Throughout the year, millions of visitors also perform the smaller pilgrimage, the Umrah. These pilgrims contribute to the biggest share of tourist spending in Saudi Arabia. Naturally, this has prompted the government to invest in various infrastructure projects, with the Grand Mosque expansion having the largest share of project investments relating to religious establishments in Saudi Arabia.

Tourism in Saudi Arabia

Tourism contribution to the Saudi economy has been largely flat since 2012, but this is expected to more than double by 2032. Religious tourism comprises the largest share of tourists to Saudi Arabia by purpose of visit. Although the Hajj and Umrah rituals are only prescribed in Mecca, many worshippers take the opportunity to visit Madinah, a city vastly popular among Muslims where the Prophet Muhammad’s Mosque and grave are situated, among other parts of the Kingdom. To tap into the opportunity and encourage various forms of tourism, Saudi Arabia rolled out an online one-year tourist visa for select countries whereby people could visit the rest of the country in addition to performing any religious pilgrimage.