This Is The Muslim Demographic Changes Of Europe Today And In The Next Fifteen Years!

The recent terrorist attacks in Paris have brought new attention to the small number of European Muslims who turn to violent extremism. Fears center around the number of Europeans who have fought in Iraq and Syria and could return to the continent. Amid tensions over terrorism and intolerance in France, the Muslim population there is projected to grow steadily in the coming years in comparison to non-Muslim populations and in many other European counties, time.com reports.

According to the US-based Pew Research Center think-tank, the number of Muslims in Europe is about 44million. Within EU countries, the figure is around 19million. In Europe, Russia’s population of 14million Muslims – 10 per cent of its total – is the largest on the continent, LIB reports.

In the EU, Germany and France have the biggest Muslim populations, both being home to around 4.7million. By contrast, the UK has about 2.9million Muslims – the third largest number. However, at 7.5 per cent of the population, France has the highest proportion of Muslims of any major nation in Western Europe. 

Studies suggest this will pass 10 per cent by 2030. Muslims make up 6 per cent of the population in the Netherlands, 5.9 per cent in Belgium, 5.8 per cent in Germany and 4.8 per cent in the UK. The French capital of Paris and its metropolitan area also has more Muslims than any other city in the EU – an estimated 1.7million.

This is partly due to the legacy of the bitter war for Algeria, France’s Muslim former colony, in the 1950s. Tensions surrounding France’s Muslim community have long been simmering in the banlieues – vast concrete slums dominated by immigrants.

Demographic changes, including lower birthrates for non-Muslim Europeans, are contributing to the changing face of Europe’s religious and ethnic make-up. The map Here shows historical data and projections for the growth of Muslim populations in Europe in 2030.