There are a little over 800,000 Muslims in Australia today, and the community is tracking toward about 1 million people (around 4% of the population) by the mid‑2020s.

Quick Scoop

Current numbers and trend

  • In the 2021 Australian Census, 813,392 people identified as Muslim, which was 3.2% of the total population.
  • Community organisations and analysts now commonly estimate Muslims at around 4% of Australians , reflecting growth since 2021.
  • Using recent growth rates, researchers project the Muslim population to reach or slightly exceed 1,000,000 people around 2024–2025 , and about 1.1 million by the 2026 Census.

In simple terms: from about 813k Muslims in 2021, Australia is on track for roughly 1.0–1.1 million Muslims by the next Census period.

How fast is it growing?

  • From 2016 to 2021, the Muslim population jumped from 604,235 to 813,392 , a growth of roughly 35% in five years.
  • One scholar’s projection, based on an average annual growth of about 7.1% , suggests around 1,101,333 Muslims by the 2026 Census.
  • This growth is faster than the overall population growth, driven by migration, higher birth rates in some communities, and younger age structures.

Age and where people live

  • The Muslim community in Australia is very young : about 62% are under 35 , and around 80% are under 45.
  • Roughly 70% of Muslims live in Sydney and Melbourne , especially in suburbs of Greater Sydney and Greater Melbourne.
  • New South Wales and Victoria have the highest proportions of Muslims; states like Queensland and Tasmania have much smaller percentages.

Snapshot table

Below is a simple HTML table because you asked for tables in that format:

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Year / Period</th>
      <th>Estimated Muslim population</th>
      <th>Share of Australian population</th>
      <th>Notes</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>2016 Census</td>
      <td>604,235</td>
      <td>About 2.6%</td>
      <td>Official Census figure.</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>2021 Census</td>
      <td>813,392</td>
      <td>3.2%</td>
      <td>Latest official national count.</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>2024–2025 (estimate)</td>
      <td>≈1,000,000</td>
      <td>≈4%</td>
      <td>Community and demographic projections.</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>2026 Census (projection)</td>
      <td>≈1,101,333</td>
      <td>Just over 4%</td>
      <td>Forecast based on recent growth rates.</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

(All numeric values in the table are drawn from or directly extrapolated using the cited Census data and published projections.)

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