Growing Muslim Population in Italy: Facts Amidst Concerns
The presence of Muslims in Italy has steadily increased in recent years, a reality often overshadowed by propaganda from extremist groups and right-wing politicians who portray this growth as a threat to Italian culture and identity.
New data from the ISMU ETS Foundation (Italian Research Foundation on Immigration and Multiculturalism) and the Pew Research Center provide a clearer picture of religious demographics and population changes in the country.
According to the ISMU ETS Foundation, which analyzed ISTAT (Italian National Institute of Statistics) data up to January 1, 2025, Muslims constitute approximately 2.7 million people, or 4.9% of Italy’s total population. While this figure is below the European average of 6.8%, it has nonetheless garnered significant attention from political and media circles.
The broader religious landscape, as reported by the Pew Research Center, shows that Christians account for 80.8% of the Italian population, followed by the non-affiliated and then Muslims. Even among foreign residents in Italy, Christianity holds the largest share, with Muslims being the second-largest group, according to the Aidus Center for Studies.
The Muslim community in Italy is primarily composed of citizens from Morocco, Albania, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Moroccans form the largest group, numbering over 400,000, followed by Bangladeshis and Pakistanis. While the population of foreign Muslims has shown relative stability recently, Pew data indicates their share of the total national population rose by 1.2% between 2010 and 2020.
The Lombardy region, with its center in Milan, has an estimated 400,000 Muslims, representing a higher proportion than the national average, with Moroccan and Egyptian citizens forming the core Islamic community there.
Experts argue that despite the Islamophobic rhetoric propagated by extremist factions, the reality demonstrates that Islam in Italy is not a threat, but rather a growing element of the country’s religious and social diversity.
