95–100% | |
90–95% | |
50–55% | |
30–35% | |
10–20% | |
5–10% | |
4–5% | |
2–4% | |
1–2% | |
< 1% |
Islam by country |
---|
Islamportal |
Muslims in North Macedonia represent just under one-third of the nation's total population according to the 2021 census, [2] making Islam the second most widely professed religion in the country. Muslims in North Macedonia follow Sunni Islam of the Hanafi madhhab. Some northwestern and western regions of the country have Muslim majorities. A large majority of all the Muslims in the country are ethnic Albanians, with the rest being primarily Turks, Romani, Bosniaks or Torbeš.
Albanian Muslims, forming roughly 25% of the nation's total population (2002 census), and most of the Muslim population, live mostly in the Polog and western regions of the country. The Turks, who make up about 4% of the country's total population (2002 census), are scattered throughout the country, but mostly in major cities, as are Roma Muslims. Bosniaks are mostly concentrated within Skopje. Muslims of Macedonian ethnicity number roughly 40,000 to 100,000 and can be found in the western part of North Macedonia in the Centar Župa, Debar, Struga and Plasnica areas.[ citation needed ]
Ethnic group | Population 1948 | Population 2002 | Population 2021 |
---|---|---|---|
Albanians | 197,389 | 509,083 [3] [4] | 446,245 |
Turks | 95,940 | 77,959 [3] [4] | 70,961 |
Romani | 19,500 | 53,879 [3] [4] | 46,433 |
Macedonian Muslims | 1,560 | 2,553 [3] [5] | 1,187 |
Bosniaks | 17,018 [3] [4] | 16,042 |
The following table shows the Muslim population and percentage for each given year. The Muslim percentage in Macedonia generally decreased from 1904 to 1961 but began to rise again due to high fertility rate among Muslim families, reaching 33.33% in 2002. According to the census of 2021, the share of Muslims was 32.17% of the total (resident) population, which was slightly lower compared to 33.33% in the census of 2002.
Year | Muslim population | Muslim percentage |
---|---|---|
1904 | 634,000 [6] | 36.76% |
1912 | 384,000 [6] | 33.47% |
1921 | 269,000 [6] | 31.43% |
1948 | 314,603 [6] | 27.29% |
1953 | 388,515 [6] | 29.78% |
1961 | 338,200 [6] | 24.05% |
1971 | 414,176 [6] | 25.14% |
1981 | 546,437 [6] | 28.62% |
1991 | 611,326 [6] | 30.06% |
1994 | 581,203 [6] [7] | 30.04% |
2002 | 674,015 [6] [8] | 33.33% |
2021 | 590,878 [9] | 32.17% |
(according to the 2021 census)
Municipality | Statistical region | Population (2021) | Muslims (2021) | Percentage (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tetovo | Polog | 84,770 | 64,468 | 76.1% |
Čair | Skopje (city) | 62,586 | 50,755 | 81.1% |
Gostivar | Polog | 59,770 | 43,459 | 72.7% |
Saraj | Skopje (city) | 38,399 | 35,959 | 93.6% |
Struga | Southwestern | 50,980 | 32,231 | 63.2% |
Kumanovo | Northeastern | 98,104 | 28,528 | 29.1% |
Lipkovo | Northeastern | 22,308 | 21,570 | 96.7% |
Bogovinje | Polog | 22,906 | 21,329 | 93.1% |
Kičevo | Southwestern | 39,669 | 21,056 | 53.1% |
Studeničani | Skopje (region) | 21,970 | 19,968 | 90.9% |
Šuto Orizari | Skopje (city) | 25,726 | 19,350 | 75.2% |
Vrapčište | Polog | 19,842 | 18,224 | 91.8% |
Želino | Polog | 18,988 | 18,193 | 95.8% |
Gazi Baba | Skopje (city) | 69,626 | 17,476 | 25.1% |
Butel | Skopje (city) | 37,968 | 17,438 | 45.9% |
Tearce | Polog | 17,694 | 15,144 | 85.6% |
Debar | Southwestern | 15,412 | 13,611 | 88.3% |
Aračinovo | Skopje (region) | 12,676 | 12,363 | 97.5% |
Dolneni | Pelagonia | 13,126 | 8,873 | 67.6% |
Bitola | Pelagonia | 85,164 | 8,232 | 9.7% |
Brvenica | Polog | 13,645 | 7,386 | 54.1% |
Veles | Vardar | 48,463 | 6,286 | 13.0% |
Ohrid | Southwestern | 51,428 | 5,908 | 11.5% |
Prilep | Pelagonia | 69,025 | 5,063 | 7.3% |
Čaška | Vardar | 7,942 | 4,710 | 59.3% |
Radoviš | Southeastern | 24,122 | 4,470 | 18.5% |
Strumica | Southeastern | 49,995 | 4,331 | 8.7% |
Plasnica | Southwestern | 4,222 | 4,115 | 97.5% |
Štip | Eastern | 44,866 | 3,798 | 8.5% |
Gjorče Petrov | Skopje (city) | 44,844 | 3,680 | 8.2% |
Mavrovo and Rostuša | Polog | 5,042 | 3,669 | 72.8% |
Karpoš | Skopje (city) | 63,760 | 3,629 | 5.7% |
Petrovec | Skopje (region) | 9,150 | 3,588 | 39.2% |
Jegunovce | Polog | 8,895 | 3,522 | 39.6% |
Resen | Pelagonia | 14,373 | 3,423 | 23.8% |
Centar Župa | Southwestern | 3,720 | 3,346 | 89.9% |
Kruševo | Pelagonia | 8,385 | 2,859 | 34.1% |
Vasilevo | Southeastern | 10,552 | 2,557 | 24.2% |
Centar | Skopje (city) | 43,893 | 2,507 | 5.7% |
Kisela Voda | Skopje (city) | 61,965 | 2,267 | 3.7% |
Aerodrom | Skopje (city) | 77,735 | 2,184 | 2.8% |
Sopište | Skopje (region) | 6,713 | 2,159 | 32.2% |
Kočani | Eastern | 31,602 | 2,069 | 6.5% |
Valandovo | Southeastern | 10,508 | 1,435 | 13.7% |
Čučer-Sandevo | Skopje (region) | 9,200 | 1,363 | 14.8% |
Kavadarci | Vardar | 35,733 | 1,157 | 3.2% |
Negotino | Vardar | 18,194 | 1,105 | 6.1% |
Vinica | Eastern | 14,475 | 942 | 6.5% |
Karbinci | Eastern | 3,420 | 865 | 25.3% |
Ilinden | Skopje (region) | 17,435 | 855 | 4.9% |
Gradsko | Vardar | 3,233 | 740 | 22.9% |
Bosilovo | Southeastern | 11,508 | 702 | 6.1% |
Delčevo | Eastern | 13,585 | 694 | 5.1% |
Zelenikovo | Skopje (region) | 3,361 | 654 | 19.5% |
Konče | Southeastern | 2,725 | 607 | 22.3% |
Pehčevo | Eastern | 3,983 | 597 | 15.0% |
Berovo | Eastern | 10,890 | 514 | 4.7% |
Demir Kapija | Vardar | 3,777 | 419 | 11.1% |
Kriva Palanka | Northeastern | 18,059 | 418 | 2.3% |
Mogila | Pelagonia | 5,283 | 336 | 6.4% |
Dojran | Southeastern | 3,084 | 309 | 10.0% |
Makedonski Brod | Southwestern | 5,889 | 259 | 4.4% |
Demir Hisar | Pelagonia | 7,260 | 244 | 3.4% |
Lozovo | Vardar | 2,264 | 236 | 10.4% |
Kratovo | Northeastern | 7,545 | 108 | 1.4% |
Gevgelija | Southeastern | 21,582 | 104 | 0.5% |
Sveti Nikole | Vardar | 15,320 | 92 | 0.6% |
Debarca | Southwestern | 3,719 | 76 | 2.0% |
Probištip | Eastern | 13,417 | 57 | 0.4% |
Bogdanci | Southeastern | 7,339 | 52 | 0.7% |
Rankovce | Northeastern | 3,465 | 52 | 1.5% |
Rosoman | Vardar | 3,796 | 36 | 0.9% |
Novaci | Pelagonia | 2,648 | 35 | 1.3% |
Makedonska Kamenica | Eastern | 6,439 | 18 | 0.3% |
Staro Nagoričane | Northeastern | 3,501 | 14 | 0.4% |
Vevčani | Southwestern | 2,359 | 10 | 0.4% |
Krivogaštani | Pelagonia | 5,167 | 8 | 0.2% |
Češinovo-Obleševo | Eastern | 5,471 | 5 | 0.1% |
Zrnovci | Eastern | 2,086 | 4 | 0.2% |
Novo Selo | Southeastern | 6,972 | 3 | 0.0% |
Macedonia (total) | 1,836,713 | 590,878 | 32.2% |
The Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje stated in 2012 that "religion is primary importance to Macedonia's Muslims." The university conducted a survey of 1.850 Muslims in North Macedonia, which found that 81.6% described themselves as religious, 60.5% of which were very religious. Approximately 22% never went to a mosque(48,6% attend mosque at least once a week) and 17.3% did not pray at home(42,1% pray five times a day). About 28,6% believed that disputes should be resolved using Islamic Sharia law(41,7% say that should be resolved using North Macedonia's laws,29,7% didn't know or refused to answer), and 27,8% said that wearing a veil in school was "unacceptable." 16,4% of the respondents said cohabitation without marriage was "acceptable"(74,2% said " non acceptable" and 9,3% refused to answer), 13,6% ate pork and 24,8% drank alcohol. Also 94% of respondents said they circumcised their boys and 98% observed Muslim burial practices for their relatives. [10]
According to a 2017 Pew Research Center survey, 64% of Macedonian Muslims responded that religion is "very important" in their lives. [11] The same survey found that 43% of Macedonian Muslims pray all five salah, [12] 51% attend mosque at least once a week, [13] and 46% read Quran at least once a week.That makes Macedonian Muslims the most religious Muslim community between the Balkan countries with the Muslim communities in Montenegro and Serbia. [14]
The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs, politics, and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. In a modern geopolitical sense, these terms refer to countries in which Islam is widespread, although there are no agreed criteria for inclusion. The term Muslim-majority countries is an alternative often used for the latter sense.
Islam is the second-largest religion in Canada practised by approximately 5% of the population. Canadian Muslims are one of the most ethnically diverse religious groups across the country. Muslims have lived in Canada since 1871 and the first mosque was established in 1938. Most Canadian Muslims are Sunni, while a significant minority are Shia.
"Muslims" is a designation for the ethnoreligious group of Serbo-Croatian-speaking Muslims of Slavic heritage, inhabiting mostly the territory of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The term, adopted in the 1971 Constitution of Yugoslavia, groups together a number of distinct South Slavic communities of Islamic ethnocultural tradition. Prior to 1993, a vast majority of present-day Bosniaks self-identified as ethnic Muslims, along with some smaller groups of different ethnicity, such as Gorani and Torbeši. This designation did not include Yugoslav non-Slavic Muslims, such as Turks, some Romani people and majority of Albanians.
Islam in Bulgaria is a minority religion and the second largest religion in the country after Christianity. According to the 2021 Census, the total number of Muslims in Bulgaria stood at 638,708 corresponding to 9.8% of the population. Ethnically, Muslims in Bulgaria are Turks, Bulgarians and Roma, living mainly in parts of northeastern Bulgaria and in the Rhodope Mountains.
Islam is the most widespread religion in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was introduced to the local population in the 15th and 16th centuries as a result of the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Cultural Muslims, also known as nominal Muslims, non-practicing Muslims or non-observing Muslims, are people who identify as Muslims but are not religious and do not practice the faith. They may be a non-observing, secular or irreligious individuals who still identify with Islam due to family backgrounds, personal experiences, ethnic and national heritage, or the social and cultural environment in which they grew up. However, this concept is not always met with acceptance in conservative Islamic communities.
As of the year 2023, Christianity had approximately 2.4 billion adherents and is the largest religion by population. According to a PEW estimation in 2020, Christians made up to 2.38 billion of the worldwide population of about 8 billion people. It represents nearly one-third of the world's population and is the largest religion in the world, with the three largest groups of Christians being the Catholic Church, Protestantism, and the Eastern Orthodox Church. The largest Christian denomination is the Catholic Church, with 1.3 billion baptized members. The second largest Christian branch is either Protestantism, or the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Islam is the second-largest religion in Europe after Christianity. Although the majority of Muslim communities in Western Europe formed as a result of immigration, there are centuries-old indigenous European Muslim communities in the Balkans, Caucasus, Crimea, and Volga region. The term "Muslim Europe" is used to refer to the Muslim-majority countries in the Balkans and the Caucasus and parts of countries in Eastern Europe with sizable Muslim minorities that constitute large populations of indigenous European Muslims, although the majority are secular.
Religion has been a major influence on the societies, cultures, traditions, philosophies, artistic expressions and laws within present-day Europe. The largest religion in Europe is Christianity. However, irreligion and practical secularisation are also prominent in some countries. In Southeastern Europe, three countries have Muslim majorities, with Christianity being the second-largest religion in those countries. Ancient European religions included veneration for deities such as Zeus. Modern revival movements of these religions include Heathenism, Rodnovery, Romuva, Druidry, Wicca, and others. Smaller religions include Indian religions, Judaism, and some East Asian religions, which are found in their largest groups in Britain, France, and Kalmykia.
Islam in Montenegro refers to adherents, communities and religious institutions of Islam in Montenegro. It is the second largest religion in the country, after Christianity. According to the 2011 census, Montenegro's 118,477 Muslims make up 20% of the total population. Montenegro's Muslims belong mostly to the Sunni branch. According to the estimate by the Pew Research Center, Muslims have a population of 130,000 (20.3%) as of 2020.
Muslims in Luxembourg are a super-minority together with: Protestants, Orthodox Christians, and Jews. Since 2015, Islam is legally recognized in the country.
Eastern Orthodox Christianity is largest religion in Montenegro, but there are also sizeable numbers of adherents of both Catholic Christianity and Islam.
Croatia is a predominantly Christian country, with Islam being a minority faith. It is followed by 1.3% of the country's population according to the 2021 census. Islam was first introduced to Croatia by the Ottoman Empire during the Croatian–Ottoman Wars that lasted from the 15th to 16th century. During this period some parts of the Croatian Kingdom were occupied which resulted in some Croats converting to Islam, some after being taken prisoners of war, some through the devşirme system. Nonetheless, Croats strongly fought against the Turks during these few centuries which resulted in the fact that the westernmost border of the Ottoman Empire in Europe became entrenched on the Croatian soil. In 1519, Croatia was called the Antemurale Christianitatis by Pope Leo X.
Islam in Cyprus is the island's second-largest religion after Christianity, and is also the predominant faith of the Turkish Cypriot community which resides in Northern Cyprus. Before the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, the Turkish Cypriot community made up 18% of the island's population and lived throughout the island. Today, most of the estimated 264,172 Muslims are based in the north of the island.
The Muslims in Slovenia are ethnically mostly Bosniaks and ethnic Muslims. In 2014, there were 48,266 Muslims in Slovenia, making up about 2 percent of the total population. The Muslim community of Slovenia is headed by Nedžad Grabus. There are also a few Muslim migrant workers from Central Asia; however, they are not counted in the census, because they are not citizens of Slovenia.
Islam is a minority religion in Liechtenstein.
The most widely professed religion in Bosnia and Herzegovina is Islam and the second biggest religion is Christianity. Nearly all the Muslims of Bosnia are followers of the Sunni denomination of Islam; the majority of Sunnis follow the Hanafi legal school of thought (fiqh) and Maturidi theological school of thought (kalām). Bosniaks are generally associated with Islam, Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the Roman Catholic Church, and Bosnian Serbs with the Serbian Orthodox Church. The State Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the entity Constitutions of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska provide for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in ethnically integrated areas or in areas where government officials are of the majority religion; the state-level Law on Religious Freedom also provides comprehensive rights to religious communities. However, local authorities sometimes restricted the right to worship of adherents of religious groups in areas where such persons are in the minority.
Religion in Kosovo is separated from the state. The constitution of Kosovo establishes Kosovo as a secular state that is neutral in matters of religious beliefs and where everyone is equal before the law and freedom to belief, conscience and religion is guaranteed.
In North Macedonia, the most common religion is Eastern Orthodox Christianity, practiced mainly by ethnic Macedonians, Serbians, Vlachs, and Romanis. The vast majority of the Eastern Orthodox in the country belong to the Macedonian Orthodox Church, which declared autocephaly from the Serbian Orthodox Church in 1967.
Adherents of Islam constitute the world's second largest religious group. A projection by the PEW suggests that Muslims numbered approximately 1.9 billion followers in 2020. Studies in the 21st century suggest that, in terms of percentage and worldwide spread, Islam is the fastest-growing major religion in the world, mostly because Muslims have more children than other major religious groups. Most Muslims are either of two denominations: Sunni or Shia. Islam is the majority religion in several subregions: Central Asia, Western Asia, North Africa, West Africa, the Sahel, and the Middle East. The diverse Asia-Pacific region contains the highest number of Muslims in the world, surpassing the combined Middle East and North Africa.