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Asia is home to approximately 1.3 billion Muslims, accounting for roughly 62% of the global Muslim population. Islam is the largest religion on the continent. [1]

Regional Demographics

• South Asia: Home to about 620 million Muslims (roughly 32% of the region), including massive populations in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India (which has one of the world’s largest minority Muslim populations). [1, 2]
• Southeast Asia: Home to about 240 to 277 million Muslims (around 40–42% of the regional population), led by Indonesia, which hosts the largest Muslim population of any single country in the world. [1, 2, 3]
• West Asia (Middle East): Home to about 326 million Muslims, representing nearly 80% of the regional population across nations like Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. [1]
• Central Asia: Home to about 66 million Muslims, making up over 90% of the population in countries like Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. [1, 2]
• East Asia: Home to about 26 million Muslims, including minority populations in China (such as the Hui and Uyghur communities). [1, 2]

Key Characteristics

• Majorities and Minorities: Islam is the official or dominant state religion in countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, while forming significant and influential minority communities in countries like India, China, and the Philippines. [1, 2, 3]
• Traditions: The vast majority of Asian Muslims are Sunni, with the Shafi’i school predominant in Southeast Asia and the Hanafi school common in South and Central Asia, alongside notable Shia populations in nations like Iran, Iraq, and parts of South Asia. [1, 2, 3]
• History: The faith spread primarily through 7th-to-15th-century maritime and overland trade routes (such as the Silk Road and Indian Ocean networks), later reinforced by Sufi missionaries, local state conversions, and historical sultanates. [1, 2, 3]

Would you like to focus on a specific country or region (such as Southeast Asia or South Asia) to explore its history, demographics, or cultural practices in more detail?

Islam in Asia

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Islam in Asia began in the 7th century during the lifetime of Muhammad. In 2020, the total number of Muslims in Asia was about 1.3 billion, making it the largest religion in Asia. Asia constitutes in absolute terms the world’s largest Muslim population,^[1] and about 62% of the world’s Muslims live in Asia, while Indonesia having the most Muslims of the world in a country, and several others with Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Malaysia having large Muslim populations in the world. Asia is home to the largest Muslim population, with West Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia being particularly important regions. A number of adherents of Islam have lived in Asia especially in West Asia and South Asia since the beginning of Islamic history.

History

The spread of Islam outside of the Arabian Peninsula and into other parts of the continent can be linked to the extensive trade routes connecting West Asia to China.

The Barmakid family was an early supporter of the Abbasid Revolution against the Umayyads and of As-Saffah. This gave Khalid ibn Barmak considerable influence, and his son Yaḥyā ibn Khālid (d. 806) was the vizier of the caliph al-Mahdi (ruled 775–785) and tutor of Hārūn ar-Rashīd (ruled 786–809). Yaḥyā’s sons al-Faḍl and Ja’far (767–803) both occupied high offices under Harun. Many Barmakids were patrons of the sciences, which greatly helped the propagation of Indian science and scholarship from the neighboring Academy of Gundishapur into the Arabic world. They patronized scholars such as Gebir and Jabril ibn Bukhtishu. They are also credited with the establishment of the first paper mill in Baghdad. The power of the Barmakids in those times is reflected in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights; the vizier Ja’far appears in several stories, as well as a tale that gave rise to the expression “Barmecide feast”.

We know of Yaḥyā ibn Khālid al-Barmakī (d. 805 CE) as a patron of physicians and, specifically, of the translation of Hindu medical works into both Arabic and Persian. In all likelihood, however, his activity took place in the orbit of the caliphal court in Iraq, where at the behest of Hārūn ar-Rashīd (786–809), such books were translated into Arabic. Thus Khurāsān and Transoxiana were effectively bypassed in this transfer of learning from India to Islam, even though, undeniably the Barmakī’s cultural outlook owed something to their land of origin, northern Afghanistan, and Yaḥyā al-Barmakī’s interest in medicine may have derived from no longer identifiable family tradition.^[2]

Many of the early governors of the Caliphate were Barmakids. Khalid ibn Barmak built Mansura, Sindh and later Baghdad. His son was the governor of what is now Azerbaijan.

Demographics

Central Asia

Main article: Islam in Central Asia

Country	Total Population	Muslim Percentage	Muslim Population
Kazakhstan	18,744,548	70.2%[3]	13,158,672
Kyrgyzstan	6,019,480	90.6%[4]	5,194,811
Tajikistan	8,734,951	98.0%[5]	8,560,251
Turkmenistan	5,851,466	96.1%	5,459,417
Uzbekistan	32,653,900	96.5%[6]	31,511,013
Central Asia	72,004,345	90.6%	66,884,164

East Asia

Main article: Islam in East Asia

Country	Total Population	Muslim Percentage	Muslim Population
China	1,447,620,350	1.8%[7][8][9]	26,057,166
Hong Kong	7,450,000	4.2%	320,000
Macau	660,000	1.5%[10]	10,000
Japan	126,420,000	0.19%[11]	230,000
North Korea	25,610,672	0.02%[12]	5,000
South Korea	51,635,256	0.38%[13]	196,454
Mongolia	3,231,200	5.0%	121,560
Taiwan	23,577,488	0.3%	70,732
East Asia	1,633,202,416	3.13%	26,889,352

South Asia

Main article: Islam in South Asia

Country	Total Population	Muslim Percentage	Muslim Population
Afghanistan	49,552,566	99.7%[14]	49,403,908
Bangladesh	165,000,000	90.4%	149,100,000
Bhutan	727,145	0.2%[15]	7,000
India	1,338,270,000	15.6%[16]	213,000,000
Maldives	378,114	100%[17]	378,114
Nepal	29,218,867	4.4%	1,285,630
Pakistan	231,085,590	96.50%	200,400,000
Sri Lanka	21,444,000	9.7%	2,080,068
South Asia	1,817,333,303	32.43%	620,083,325

Southeast Asia

Main article: Islam in Southeast Asia

Country	Total Population	Muslim Percentage	Muslim Population
Brunei	460,345	82.7%	380,705
Cambodia	16,204,486	2%[18]	312,540
East Timor	1,291,358	0.3%	4,000
Indonesia	266,500,000	86.7%[19]	231,070,000
Laos	7,126,706	0.1%	8,000
Malaysia	32,730,000	63.5%	20,623,140
Myanmar	55,123,814	4.15%	2,300,000
Philippines	112,018,293	6.4%[20]	6,981,710
Singapore	5,888,926	15.6%	918,672
Thailand	68,414,135	5.0%	3,420,706
Vietnam	96,160,163	0.1%[21]	196,000
Southeast Asia	679,726,700	40.8%	277,346,378

West Asia

Main article: Religion in the Middle East

Country	Total Population	Muslim Percentage	Muslim Population
Armenia	2,975,000	0.03%[22]	1,000
Azerbaijan	10,027,874	96.9%[23]	9,727,038
Bahrain	1,496,300	81.2%[24]	1,214,995
Cyprus	854,800	25.4%	217,119
Georgia	3,723,464	10.7%	463,062
Iran	81,871,500	99%[25]	81,052,785
Iraq	39,339,753	98.0%[26]	38,552,957
Israel	8,930,680	17.7%	1,580,730
Jordan	10,261,300	94.0%	9,645,622
Kuwait	4,226,920	85.0%	3,592,882
Lebanon	6,093,509	54.0%	3,200,000
Oman	4,651,706	99.0%[27]	4,605,188
Palestine	4,816,503	93.0%,[28]	4,479,347
Qatar	2,561,643	77.5%[29]	1,985,273
Saudi Arabia	33,413,660	100.0%[30]	33,413,660
Syria	18,284,407	87.0%[31]	15,907,434
Turkey	80,810,525	99.8%[32]	80,648,903
United Arab Emirates	9,582,340	80.0%	7,665,872
Yemen	28,915,284	99.1%[33]	28,915,284
West Asia	352,837,168	79.45%	326,869,151

References

1. “The Global Religious Landscape” (PDF). Pewforum.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 January 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
2. History of Civilizations of Central Asia, Volume 4, Part 2 By C. E. Bosworth, M.S. Asimov, page 300
3. “The results of the national population census in 2009”. Agency of Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan. 12 November 2010. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
4. MAPPING THE GLOBAL MUSLIM POPULATION Archived 2011-05-19 at the Wayback Machine. A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Muslim Population. Pew Research Center. October 2009
5. “Tajikistan”. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
6. “The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010–2050”. Pew Research. 2 April 2015. Archived from the original on 24 December 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
7. “East Asia/Southeast Asia :: China — The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency”. http://www.cia.gov. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
8. “China Religion Facts & Stats”. nationmaster.com. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
9. Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. “Refworld | 2010 Report on International Religious Freedom – China (includes Tibet, Hong Kong, Macau)”. Refworld. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
10. “MACAU DAILY TIMES – Being a Muslim in Macau: Indonesian community holds triple celebration”. 2013-10-16. Archived from the original on 2013-10-16. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
11. “The number of Muslims in Japan is growing fast”. The Economist. 7 January 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
12. “Table: Muslim Population by Country”. Pew Research Center. 27 January 2011. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
13. “”Many Koreans have big misunderstandings about Islam,” says a Muslim convert in South Korea”. The Straits Times. 31 May 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
14. “Afghanistan Religion | Afghanistan’s Web Site”. http://www.afghanistans.com. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
15. Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project: Bhutan Archived 2018-11-13 at the Wayback Machine. Pew Research Center. 2010.
16. “Muslim Population in India – Muslims in Indian States”. indiaonlinepages.com. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
17. “The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency”. http://www.cia.gov. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
18. “East Asia/Southeast Asia :: Cambodia — The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency”. http://www.cia.gov. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
19. “Statistik Umat Menurut Agama di Indonesia” (in Indonesian). Kementerian Agama Republik Indonesia. 15 May 2018. Archived from the original on 3 September 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020. Muslim 231 Million (86.7), Christian 20.45 Million (7.6), Catholic 8.43 million (3.12), Hindu 4.65 million (1.74), Buddhist 2.03 million (0.77), Confucianism 76.630 (0.03), Others/Traditional faiths 126.51 (0.04), Total 266.5 Million
20. “Religious Affiliation in the Philippines (2020 Census of Population and Housing) – Statistical Tables”. Philippine Statistics Authority.
21. “Only Few Know Of The Cham Muslims – Vietnam’s Isolated Islamic Community”, Mvslim, 2018-11-18, retrieved 2019-01-09
22. Miller, Tracy, ed. (October 2009), Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Muslim Population (PDF), Pew Research Center, p. 31, archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-10-10, retrieved 2009-10-08
23. “Mapping The Global Muslim Population” (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
24. “Bahrain Religion Facts & Stats”. http://www.nationmaster.com. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
25. “Iran Religion Facts & Stats”.
26. “The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency”. http://www.cia.gov. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved 2018-10-18.
27. “Oman Religion Facts & Stats”. http://www.nationmaster.com. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
28. “Are all Palestinians Muslim?”. Institute for Middle East Understanding. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
29. “Qatar | The World Almanac of Islamism”. almanac.afpc.org. Archived from the original on 2018-10-15. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
30. “Saudi Arabia”. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
31. “Syria Religions – Demographics”. http://www.indexmundi.com. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
32. “Turkey”. World Factbook. CIA. 2007. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021.
33. “Yemen – The World Factbook”. Central Intelligence Agency, United States. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2024.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Islam in Asia.

• Islam in Asia at the Open Directory Project

source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Asia

AI Overview

The Ahmadiyya movement is an Islamic reformist community founded in 1889 in Qadian, India, by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. In Asia, the movement has a deep historical presence across South Asia, Southeast Asia, and parts of the Middle East, though it faces severe legal and social opposition in several countries. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Origins and Spread in Asia

• South Asia (India and Pakistan):
  • Qadian in Punjab, India, remains the historical birthplace and spiritual center of the movement, featuring the Mubarak Mosque and the White Minaret.
  • Following the 1947 partition of India, the international headquarters moved to Rabwah in Pakistan, which later hosted a large population before escalating state-level persecution.
  • Pakistan holds the largest Ahmadi population in the world, estimated between 2 million and 4.9 million people. [1, 2, 3]
• Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Singapore, Japan):
  • Indonesia: Introduced in 1925 by missionary Rahmat Ali in Tapaktuan, Aceh, the community grew to roughly 400,000 members across hundreds of local branches. Indonesian Ahmadis historically participated in the country’s early independence movement, though they face increasing pressure and intolerance from mainstream religious organizations.
  • Singapore: Established in 1935 by missionary Ghulam Hussain Ayyaz, the community maintains local infrastructure including the Taha Mosque, despite being declared outside mainstream Islam by local fatwas in 1969.
  • Japan: Established with early missionary visits leading to a permanent presence in Tokyo, Nagoya, and the Japan Mosque in Tsushima (the country’s largest Ahmadi structure). [1, 2, 3, 4]
• Other Asian Regions: Small communities or historical footprints exist elsewhere, including localized groups or diaspora presences in the Middle East, China, and Israel (such as the Ahmadi neighborhood of Kabir in Haifa). [1, 2]

Core Beliefs and Controversy

• Prophethood: Followers regard Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as the promised Mahdi and Messiah, operating as a subordinate or non-law-bearing prophet within Islam. Mainstream Islamic theology views the finality of prophethood as ending with Muhammad, which is the primary driver of theological and political opposition. [1, 2]
• Peaceful Advocacy: The movement emphasizes non-violent engagement (“jihad of the pen”), interfaith dialogue, and extensive translation of the Quran into over 100 languages. [1, 2]

Persecution and Legal Status

• In countries like Pakistan, the community is constitutionally and legally restricted, facing targeted bans, criminalization of self-identification as Muslim, and physical violence. [1]
• In Southeast Asian nations like Indonesia, Ahmadis frequently face localized displacement, forced closures of places of worship, and societal pressure from hardline groups. [1]

Would you like to know more about the history of Ahmadiyya in a specific country (such as Indonesia or Pakistan), or details about their split into Qadiani and Lahore groups?