Are Muslims 'swamping' the Western world?

Pauline Hanson claims Australia is in danger of being 'swamped by Muslims'. But just what is the Islamic population of the nation, and how does it compare to other OECD countries?

Muslim residents of the Western Sydney offer their Eid Al Adha prayer inside a Rugby ground on September 12, 2016.

Muslim residents of Western Sydney offer their Eid Al Adha prayer inside a Rugby ground. Source: (Photo credit should read SAEED KHAN/AFP/Getty Images)

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson made her entrance into parliament on Wednesday evening by proclaiming Australia was in "danger of being swamped by Muslims".

"Now we are in danger of being swamped by Muslims, who bear a culture and ideology that is incompatible with our own," she said.

Ms Hanson accused Muslims as being more violent. "Multiple social surveys find that neighbourhoods of Muslim settlement are suffering from collapsing social cohesion and fear of crime," she went on to say.

"Not only is terrorism seen around the world but it is now part of our society with Muslim refugees involved in the Lindt Cafe siege, the Curtis Cheng murder in Sydney and the stabbing of the two police officers in Melbourne." 

It was rhetoric that prompted the Greens party to leave halfway through, its leader, Richard Di Natale describing it as "vile" and racism.
An international study called the the , compiled in 2015 by Pew Research Center from the latest data (2010), has determined the percentage of each major religion across 234 countries around the world - and Muslims make up just 2.4 per cent of the Australian population. 

The religions were Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, the religiously unaffiliated and the 'other religion' category, which includes Sikhs, Shintoists and Taoists. It also looked at folk religions, which it defined as Aboriginal and African traditional religions.

SBS analysed the religious makeups in the 35 countries that constitute the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental economic organisation formed to build the global economy and trade.  

It found that Turkey had the greatest percentage of Muslims at 98 per cent, followed by Israel at 18.6 per cent, France at 7.5 per cent, the Netherlands 6 per cent and then Belgium (5.9), Germany (5.8), Austria (5.4), Greece (5.3), Switzerland (4.9) and in 10th place, Sweden at 4.6 per cent. 

Australia ranks 16th at 2.4 per cent, with Hinduism noted as the fastest growing religion.
Australia

Muslims make up 2.4 per cent of Australia’s population.

That’s less than the country’s Buddhist population at 2.7 per cent. Hindus comprise 1.4 percent, the religion calculated as the fastest growing in the country.

Christians comprise 67.3 per cent.
Austria

In Austria, 5.4 per cent of the population are Muslim. A greater percentage were unaffiliated (13.5 per cent) and 80.4 per cent identify as Christian.

Belgium

There are three main groups in Belgium – Christians at 64.2 per cent, the unaffiliated at 29 per cent, followed by Muslims at 5.9 per cent.

Canada

Canada has around the same proportion of religions as Australia. Sixty-nine percent are Christian, 2.1 per cent are Muslim and 1.4 per cent are Hindu. A total 23.7 per cent reported as unaffiliated.

Chile

Chile’s Christian population sits at 89.4 per cent while 8.6 are affiliated. Muslims do not form a percentage of the population.

Czech Republic

Most people in the Czech Republic don’t identify with any religion at 76.4 per cent. For those who do, Christianity  is the most popular at 23.3 per cent. Other religions do not figure.

Denmark

Christians dominate Denmark at 83.5 per cent, followed by the unaffiliated at 11.8 per cent and Muslims at 4.1 per cent.

Estonia

Most Estonians don’t identify with a religion (59.6 per cent) but Christians make up many at 39.9 per cent. Other religions did not figure.

Finland

Finland is divided into Christians (80.1 per cent, the unaffiliated (19.1 per cent) and Muslims at 1 per cent.
France

Christians comprise 63 per cent of France’s population with 28 per cent unaffiliated. Muslims make up 7.5 per cent and Buddhists and Jews 1 per cent respectively.

Germany

Germany has over two thirds of its population identifying as Christians and 24.7 who describe themselves as unaffiliated while 5.8 per cent say they Muslims. Buddhists make up 1 per cent.

Greece

Eighty-eight per cent of Greece’s population are Christians, 6.1 per cent are unaffiliated and 5.3 per cent are Muslims.

Hungary has 81 per cent Christians, 18.6 per cent unaffiliated and not enough Muslims to be factored into the study.

Hungary

Most Hungarians are Christian (81 per cent) and a significant amount identify as unaffiliated (18.6 per cent).

Iceland

Iceland has just two groups comprising its religious fabric. The majority are Christians at 95 per cent and the unaffiliated at 3.5 per cent.

Ireland

Ireland’s population constitutes 92 per cent Christians, 6.2 unaffiliated and 1.1 per cent Muslims.

Israel

Israel is comprised of 75.6 Jews, 18.6 Muslims and 3.1 who say they are unaffiliated. Christians make up 2 per cent of the population and Buddhists come in at 1 per cent.

Italy

Italy has a high population of Christians at 83.3 per cent and 12.4 per cent reporting as unaffiliated. It’s Muslim population was calculated at 3.7 per cent.

Japan

The unaffiliated make up most of Japan at 57 per cent followed by Buddhists at 36.2 per cent. The ‘other religions’ category comprise 4.7 per cent and Christians make up 1.6 per cent.

South Korea

In South Korea, 46.4 per cent say they are unaffiliated, 29.4 per cent say they are Christian and Buddhists comprise 22.9 percent of the population.

Latvia

Latvia’s top religions are divided between Christians at 55.8 per cent and the unaffiliated at 43.8 per cent.

Luxembourg

Luxembourg reports 70.4 per cent of its population are Christians and 26.8 per cent who are unaffiliated followed by 2.3 percent Muslims.

Mexico

A huge proportion of Mexico’s population identify as Christian (95.1 per cent). Another 4.7 per cent say they do not affiliate with any religion.

The Netherlands

Top religions in the Netherlands are divided into Christians (50.6 per cent), the unaffiliated at 42.1 per cent followed by Muslims at 6 per cent. One per cent identify as Buddhist.
New Zealand

New Zealand has 57 per cent of its population identifying as Christian. 36.6 per cent unaffiliated, 2.1 per cent Hindus, 1.6 per cent Buddhists and 1.2 percent Muslims.

Norway

Aside from the 84.7 per cent who say they are Christians, 10.1 per cent report as unaffiliated and 3.7 per cent are Muslims.

Poland

Poland has a strong Christian population at 94.3 per cent followed by the unaffiliated at 5.6 per cent.

Portugal

Portugal is another country with a great number of Christians, who comprise 91.9 per cent of the population. The other group are the unaffiliated at 7.5 percent.

Slovakia

Slovakia is another OECD country with only two prominent groups – Christians who comprise 85.3 per cent and the unaffiliated who comprise 14.3 per cent.

Slovenia

Most Slovenians are Christians (78.4 per cent) followed by the unaffiliated at 18 per cent and Muslims at 3.6 per cent.

Spain

Spain notes 78.6 per cent of its population are Christians and 19 per cent aer unaffiliated. Muslims comprise 2.1 per cent of the population.

Sweden

Sweden has reported 67.2 per cent of its population are Christian. They’re followed by 27 per cent who say they don’t affiliate with a religion and Muslims at 4.6 per cent.

Switzerland

In Switzerland, 72.7 per cent are Christians, 20.9 per cent are unaffiliated and 4.9 per cent are Muslims. One per cent is Hindu and another 1 percent is Buddhist.


Turkey

Turkey’s population is mainly comprised of Muslims at 98 per cent while 1.2 per cent are unaffiliated. Christians, Hindus and Buddhists make up less than 1 per cent.

United Kingdom

A little over 64 per cent of UK’s population identifies as Christian and nearly 28 per cent say they don’t affiliate with a religion. Muslims constitute 4.8 per cent of the population and Hindus 1.4 per cent. The UK reports the ‘other religions’ category comprise 1 per cent.

United States

Christians make up 78.3 per cent of the US’ population with unaffiliated following at 16.4 per cent. The Jewish population comes in at 1.8 per cent, Buddhists 1.2 per cent and Muslims at 1 per cent.


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8 min read
Published 15 September 2016 5:00pm
Updated 16 September 2016 6:41am
By Andrea Booth


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