which countries are shia muslim

Most Muslims worldwide are Sunni, and only a few countries are “Shia Muslim” in the sense that Shia Muslims form a majority or near‑majority of the population.

Core answer: countries with Shia majorities or near‑majorities

Researchers usually highlight these as the main Shia‑majority (or close to it) countries:

[9][1][3] [5][1][3][9] [1][3][5][9] [3][9][1] [5][9][1][3] [9][1][3][5] [1][3][5][9] [3][9][1]

Country	Approx. share of population that is Shia	Notes
Iran	About 90–95%	World’s largest Shia population; Twelver Shia is the official state religion.
Azerbaijan	Roughly 65–75%	Often counted as a Shia‑majority republic in the South Caucasus.
Bahrain	About 65–70% of the population, though figures are politically sensitive	Shia majority population ruled by a Sunni monarchy.
Iraq	Roughly 60–70%	Large Twelver Shia majority, especially in the south and in cities like Najaf and Karbala.
Lebanon	Roughly 45–55%	Often described as a Shia plurality; sectarian balance is contested and census data is old.
Yemen	Roughly 35–40% (mainly Zaydi Shia)	Not a majority nationally, but a very large Shia (Zaydi) community in the north.
Kuwait	Roughly 20–25%	Clear Shia minority but politically and socially significant.
Syria	About 15–20% broadly Shia‑related (Alawites + Twelvers etc.)	Alawites are often counted with Shia in demographic studies, though theology is distinct.

Many expert lists therefore say: if you ask “which countries are Shia Muslim (in the sense of majority/plurality)?”, the recurring names are **Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, and often Lebanon** , with Yemen, Kuwait and Syria as countries with very large but not majority Shia communities.

Countries with large Shia minorities

Some states are majority‑Sunni but have millions of Shia Muslims:

• Pakistan – Tens of millions of Shia (often estimated 10–20% of the population).

• India – Also tens of millions of Shia, but a small share of the total population.

• Turkey – Significant Alevi and Jaʿfari Shia communities, often grouped as roughly 10–20% in some datasets.

• Afghanistan – Around 10–20% Shia, heavily represented by Hazara communities.

• Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Tajikistan, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Western countries such as Germany, the UK and the USA also have notable Shia minorities, generally under 20% of the national population but sometimes concentrated in specific regions.

Why numbers vary and why this is a “trending topic”

• No recent, neutral censuses: Many countries avoid publishing sect‑by‑sect figures because it feeds political tension, so researchers use ranges instead of precise numbers.

• Politics and conflict: In places such as Iraq, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen, the balance between Sunni and Shia groups is tied to power‑sharing, wars and foreign influence, so debates about “who is majority” are part of current news and online forum arguments.

• Global estimate: Most recent estimates put the world’s Shia population somewhere around 10–15% of all Muslims, roughly 180–200 million people, concentrated heavily in Iran, Pakistan, India and Iraq.

Mini takeaway

If you want a very short list of “Shia Muslim countries” as in majority‑Shia states, the names you will see again and again are: Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, and Bahrain , with Lebanon often added as a Shia‑plurality country and Yemen, Kuwait and Syria highlighted for their very large Shia communities even though they are not strictly Shia‑majority at the national level.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.