By 2050, U.S. Muslim population expected to double

An increase in the U.S. Muslim population is predicted.

(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

published 8 January 2016

There are currently 3.3 million Muslims living in the U.S., but, according to Pew Research Center's prediction, that number will double. Pew estimates that by 2050 the U.S. Muslim population will grow from its current 1 percent share to twice that — 2 percent.

The estimate, Pew reports, is based on age, fertility, mortality, migration, and religious switching figures. Along with natural population growth, Pew predicts immigration will be the most robust cause of growth. Muslim immigration to the U.S. has increased steadily in the last 20 years and, between 2010 to 2015, immigration accounted for over half of the American Muslim population's projected growth, Pew reports.

"Recent political debates in the U.S. over Muslim immigration and related issues have prompted many to ask how many Muslims actually live in the United States," Pew senior researcher Basheer Mohamed writes. "But coming up with an answer is not easy, in part because the U.S. Census Bureau does not ask questions about religion, meaning that there is no official government count of the U.S. Muslim population."