In 2020, Indonesia recorded the largest population of Muslims worldwide, with around 239 million. This was followed with around 226.88 million Muslims in Pakistan and 213 million Muslims in India.

Islam is the major religion in many African countries, especially in the north of the continent. In Comoros, Libya, Western Sahara, at least 99 percent of the population was Muslim as of 202. These were the highest percentages on the continent. However, also in many other African nations, the majority of the population was Muslim. In Egypt, for instance, Islam was the religion of 79 percent of the people. Islam and other religions in Africa Africa accounts for an important share of the world’s Muslim population. As of 2019, 16 percent of the Muslims worldwide lived in Sub-Saharan Africa, while 20 percent of them lived in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Together with Christianity, Islam is the most common religious affiliation in Africa, followed by several traditional African religions. Although to a smaller extent, numerous other religions are practiced on the continent: these include Judaism, the Baha’i Faith, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Number of Muslims worldwide Islam is one of the most widespread religions in the world. There are approximately 1.9 billion Muslims globally, with the largest Muslim communities living in the Asia-Pacific region. Specifically, Indonesia hosts the highest number of Muslims worldwide, amounting to over 200 million, followed by India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Islam is also present in Europe and America. The largest Islamic communities in Europe are in France (5.72 million), Germany (4.95 million), and the United Kingdom (4.13 million). In the United States, there is an estimated number of around 3.45 million Muslims.

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.

As of 2022, India was the leading Muslim consumer cosmetics market, with expenditures valued at about *** billion U.S. dollars, followed by Indonesia with about *** billion U.S dollars.

This statistic shows the estimated number of Muslims living in different European countries as of 2016. Approximately **** million Muslims were estimated to live in France, the most of any country listed. Germany and the United Kingdom also have large muslim populations with **** million and **** million respectively.

According to Cognitive Market Research, the global Islamic Financing market size will be USD 2514.2 million in 2024 and will expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.50% from 2024 to 2031.

North America held the major market of more than 40% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 1005.68 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.7% from 2024 to 2031.
Europe accounted for a share of over 30% of the global market size of USD 754.26 million.
Asia Pacific held the market of around 23% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 578.27 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.5% from 2024 to 2031.
The Latin American market will account for more than 5% of global revenue and have a market size of USD 125.71 million in 2024. It will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.9% from 2024 to 2031.
The Middle East and Africa held the major markets, accounting for around 2% of the global revenue. The market was USD 50.28 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.2% from 2024 to 2031.
The Individual held the highest Islamic Financing market revenue share in 2024.

Market Dynamics of Islamic Financing Market

Key Drivers of Islamic Financing Market

Growing Muslim Population to Increase the Demand Globally

The growing Muslim population globally is expected to significantly increase the demand for Islamic financial products and services in the coming years. With Muslims comprising a substantial portion of the world's population, estimated to reach nearly 30% by 2050 according to demographic projections, there is a natural market for Sharia-compliant banking and investment solutions. As incomes rise and financial literacy improves in Muslim-majority countries and beyond, more individuals and businesses are seeking financial services that align with their religious beliefs and ethical values. Moreover, the increasing affluence and urbanization among Muslim populations contribute to a greater demand for sophisticated financial products, including Islamic mortgages, savings accounts, and investment funds. This growing demand is wider than in Muslim-majority countries. Still, it extends to Muslim communities and individuals residing in non-Muslim-majority countries, as well as non-Muslims who are attracted to the ethical principles and risk-sharing mechanisms inherent in Islamic finance.

Economic Development in Muslim-majority Countries to Propel Market Growth

Economic development in Muslim-majority countries is poised to propel significant growth within the Islamic finance market. As these countries experience robust economic growth, driven by factors such as population growth, urbanization, and natural resource wealth, a corresponding demand for sophisticated financial services that comply with Islamic principles emerges. This demand stems from both individuals and businesses seeking ethical and Sharia-compliant financial solutions to meet their diverse needs. Moreover, the expanding middle class within these countries signifies an increasing appetite for diverse banking and investment products, including Islamic mortgages, savings accounts, and investment funds. As disposable incomes rise and financial literacy improves, more people are turning towards Islamic finance as a viable alternative to conventional banking, recognizing its alignment with their religious beliefs and ethical values.

Restraint Factors Of Islamic Financing Market

Limited Product Offering to Limit the Sales

The limited product offering within the Islamic finance market poses a significant challenge, potentially constraining sales and market growth. Compared to conventional banking, Islamic finance products and services are often more specialized and may only cover part of the spectrum of financial needs for individuals and businesses. This limited range of options can deter potential customers who require a broader array of financial solutions. One of the primary reasons for the limited product offering is the adherence to Sharia principles, which prohibit certain financial activities such as interest (riba) and speculative transactions (gharar). While Islamic finance emphasizes ethical and socially responsible investing, it also imposes constraints on product innovation and development, particularly in areas where conventional finance has mo...

The average for 2013 based on 4 countries was 17.5 percent. The highest value was in Yemen: 37 percent and the lowest value was in Tajikistan: 5 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2013. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

This article examines portrayals of Muslim women in US news media. I test two hypotheses derived from theories of gendered orientalism. First, US news coverage of women abroad is driven by confirmation bias. Journalists are more likely to report on women living in Muslim and Middle Eastern countries if their rights are violated but report on women in other societies when their rights are respected. Second, stories about Muslim women emphasize the theme of women's rights violations and gender inequality, even for countries with relatively good records of women's rights. Stories about non-Muslim women, on the other hand, emphasize other topics. I test these hypotheses on data from thirty-five years of New York Times and Washington Post reporting using a structural topic model along with statistical analysis. The results suggest that US news media propagate the perception that Muslims are distinctly sexist. This, in turn, may shape public attitudes toward Muslims, as well as influence policies that involve Muslims at home and abroad.

According to a survey conducted in selected Asian countries in February and March 2022, over 98 percent of all surveyed Muslim respondents stated to actively celebrate Ramadan every year. The share was highest in Indonesia at 99.8 percent. Uzbekistan was the only country in Asia where less than 90 percent of the surveyed Muslims stated to partake in Ramadan celebrations each year.

UNICEF's country profile for Iran (Islamic Republic of), including under-five mortality rates, child health, education and sanitation data.

Negative binomial model of the relationship between ethnic religion interaction and male fertility (All MEN aged 15–59 years).

Percentage distribution of men according to Children Ever Born (CEB) by background characteristics.

For this survey, opinions were sought from respondents across Europe and the United States on several topics of national and international interest. These topics included: (1) the European Union (EU) and the United States as superpowers, threats facing the global community, (2) the United Nations (UN), (3) the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), (4) general opinions of various countries, institutions, and people, (5) actions taken by the George W. Bush Administration, (6) intervention policy, (7) Turkey's (potential) membership in the EU, (8) Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons, (9) China's human rights record, and (10) political preferences and voter intentions. Regarding the EU and the United States as superpowers, respondents were asked whether it was desirable for the EU or the United States to exert strong leadership in the world, whether the EU or the United States or neither should be superpowers, if the motive for opposing the EU becoming a superpower was increased military expenditure, whether increased military expenditure was necessary for the EU to become a superpower, whether the EU should concentrate on becoming an economic power, and if a more powerful EU should cooperate with the United States. Respondents were asked about threats facing the world such as Islamic fundamentalism, immigration, international terrorism, global warming, the spread of diseases such as AIDS, a major economic downturn, and the spread of nuclear weapons, and whether they expected to be affected by any of them in the next ten years. With respect to the United Nations, respondents were asked their overall opinion of the UN, whether they believed UN involvement legitimized the use of military force, whether the UN could help manage the world's problems better than a single country could, and whether the UN helps to distribute the costs of international actions. Regarding the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), respondents were asked whether NATO could help share the United States military burden, whether NATO was an essential part of national security, if NATO involvement legitimized the use of military force, if NATO was dominated by the United States, and whether Europe should maintain a defensive alliance independent of the United States. Respondents were asked to give their opinions on the following countries, institutions, and population groups: the United States, Russia, Israel, the European Union, Palestinians, Italy, Turkey, China, Iran, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Spain. In regard to the Bush Administration, respondents were asked whether relations between the United States and Europe were better or worse, whether Bush's efforts to improve relations between the United States and Europe were successful, what the future of relations between the United States and Europe would be because of Bush's efforts, and whether or not Europe should be more independent from the United States with respect to issues of security and diplomacy. Respondents were also asked whether they approved of Bush's handling of international policies. With respect to intervention policy, the following questions were asked: should the EU help establish democracies, should the EU be involved in monitoring elections, would the respondent be in favor of the EU supporting trade unions, human rights associations, and religious groups in an effort to promote freedom, and should the EU support political dissidents and impose political and economic sanctions in opposition to an authoritarian regime. Respondents were asked several questions regarding Turkey's membership in the EU, including whether Turkey's membership in the EU could help promote peace and stability in the Middle East, if Turkey's membership in the EU would be good for the EU in economic terms, whether a predominately Muslim country belonged in the EU, if Turkey was too populous to become a member of the EU, and whether Turkey was too poor to be admitted into the EU. Respondents were also asked what they felt was the best way to put pressure on Iran in light of its attempts to acquire nuclear weapons and whether or not the EU should limit its relations with China due to China's human rights violations. Respondents were also asked about their voting intentions for the next elections and what factors they took into consideration when deciding for which party to vote. The dat

Bangladesh, a country rich in culture and history, features fascinating ethnic and linguistic diversity. Among the most interesting aspects of its identity are the surnames that reflect the heritage and traditions of its inhabitants. Bangladeshi surnames can offer a unique insight into the customs, religious beliefs and geographies of the different communities that make up this nation. In this article, we will explore the list of the most common surnames in Bangladesh, providing an insight into the identity of Bangladeshis and their rich cultural history. Discovering these surnames will allow us to better understand the diversity that characterizes this South Asian country.

The Hajj to Mecca in Saudi Arabia is considered among the world’s largest human gatherings, with over **** million pilgrims in 2025. 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 **** thousand in 2021. Like other religious pilgrimages, Hajj is considered an annual rite of passage to renew one's 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 ***** 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.

In 2023, over ** percent of Indonesians declared themselves to be Muslim, followed by *** percent who were Christians. Indonesia has the largest Islamic population in the world and for this reason is often recognized as a Muslim nation. However, Indonesia is not a Muslim nation according to its constitution. The archipelago is a multifaith country and officially recognizes six religions – Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism. Not all provinces in Indonesia are Muslim majority The spread of Islam in Indonesia began on the west side of the archipelago, where the main maritime trade routes were located. Until today, most of the Indonesian Muslim population are residing in Western and Central Indonesia, while the majority religion of several provinces in Eastern Indonesia, such as East Nusa Tenggara and Bali, is Christian and Hindu, respectively. Discrimination towards other beliefs in Indonesia The Indonesian constitution provides for freedom of religion. However, the Government Restrictions Index Score on religion in Indonesia is relatively high. Indonesians who practice unrecognized religions, including Indonesia’s indigenous or traditional belief systems, such as animism, dynamism, and totemism, face legal restrictions and discrimination. Indonesian law requires its citizens to put one of the recognized religions on their national identity cards, with some exceptions for indigenous religions. Although legally citizens may leave the section blank, atheism or agnosticism is considered uncommon in Indonesia.

Christianity is the major religion in numerous African countries. As of 2024, around 96 percent of the population of Zambia was Christian, representing the highest percentage on the continent. Seychelles and Rwanda followed with roughly 95 percent and 94 percent of the population being Christian, respectively. While these countries present the highest percentages, Christianity was also prevalent in many other African nations. For instance, in South Africa, Christianity was the religion of nearly 85 percent of the people, while the share corresponded to 71 percent in Ghana. Religious variations across Africa Christianity and Islam are the most practiced religions in Africa. Christian adherents are prevalent below the Sahara, while North Africa is predominantly Muslim. In 2020, Christians accounted for around 60 percent of the Sub-Saharan African population, followed by Muslims with a share of roughly 30 percent. In absolute terms, there were approximately 650 million Christians in the region, a number forecast to increase to over one billion by 2050. In contrast, Islam is most prevalent in North Africa, being the religion of over 90 percent of the population in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Libya. Christianity in the world As opposed to other religions, Christianity is widely spread across continents worldwide. In fact, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Europe each account for around 25 percent of the global Christian population. By comparison, Asia-Pacific and North America make up 13 percent and 12 percent of Christians worldwide, respectively. In several regions, Christians also suffer persecution on religious grounds. Somalia and Libya presented the most critical situation in Africa in 2021, reporting the strongest suppression of Christians worldwide just after North Korea and Afghanistan.

The global terrorism index systematically ranks countries of the world according to their terrorist activity. In 2024, Burkina Faso ranked first on the global terrorism index with a score of 8.58 points, making it the country most affected by terrorism on Earth. In 2023, the Democratic Republic of the Congo suffered from the fourth highest number of terrorist attacks.Additional information on the Global terrorism index The Global Terrorism Index is an annual ranking produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace. As even the definition of terrorism is hotly debated, it is essential to highlight that the methodologies used to measure terrorism are also contested. The Global Terrorism Index ranks 163 countries on four indicators weighted over five years. These four factors are: the number of terrorist incidents per year, the number of fatalities caused by terrorists per year, the number of injuries caused by terrorists per year, and total property damage caused by terrorism per year. Terrorist groups Terrorism comes in several forms from a variety of groups with differing intentions. Taliban regaining power in Afghanistan in 2021 can help explain the high ranking of Afghanistan, but the country has been plagued by terrorist activities for many decades. The operation of numerous groups alongside or in conflict with the Islamic State and the Taliban has led to Afghanistan falling victim to a high number of attacks. Moreover, IS now operates across several countries and regions, including in Burkina Faso. Economic damages On the non-human casualty side of the index, property loss is an important metric as loss of shelter or livelihood has a long lasting impact on those who survive the attack physically unharmed. The high percentage of attacks in advanced economies in the most expensive terrorist attacks by insured property loss demonstrates the limitation of using comparative financial data. Although the insured losses are lower in countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan, this does not suggest the impact of property loss is lower. The instability in these countries often makes insurance unaffordable for most citizens.

The two countries with the greatest shares of the world's Jewish population are the United States and Israel. The United States had been a hub of Jewish immigration since the nineteenth century, as Jewish people sought to escape persecution in Europe by emigrating across the Atlantic. The Jewish population in the U.S. is largely congregated in major urban areas, such as New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, with the New York metropolitan area being the city with the second largest Jewish population worldwide, after Tel Aviv, Israel. Israel is the world's only officially Jewish state, having been founded in 1948 following the first Arab-Israeli War. While Jews had been emigrating to the holy lands since the nineteenth century, when they were controlled by the Ottoman Empire, immigration increased rapidly following the establishment of the state of Israel. Jewish communities in Eastern Europe who had survived the Holocaust saw Israel as a haven from persecution, while the state encouraged immigration from Jewish communities in other regions, notably the Middle East & North Africa. Smaller Jewish communities remain in Europe in countries such as France, the UK, and Germany, and in other countries which were hotspots for Jewish migration in the twentieth century, such as Canada and Argentina.

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.