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Islam is the second-largest religion in Australia, with 813,392 people identifying as Muslim in the 2021 census, constituting 3.2% of the total population. The vast majority of Muslims in Australia are Sunni, with significant Shia minorities. Islam was first formally established in Australia by camel drivers from several countries, including Afghanistan, in the 19th century. Since then, the Muslim population in Australia has grown due to immigration, religious conversion, and Australia's participation in UN refugee efforts.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Total Muslim population in Australia | 813,392 people (3.2% of the total population) |
| Male | 148,442 (53%) |
| Female | 133,132 (47%) |
| Age | A higher proportion of young people and fewer people between 25-64 or 65 and over |
| Australian-born Muslims | 36% |
| Overseas-born Muslims | 64% |
| Largest overseas-born Muslim communities | Lebanese and Turkish |
| Denominations | Sunni (majority), Shia (minority) |
| Notable Australian Muslims | Boxer Anthony Mundine, community worker and rugby league star Hazem El Masri, cricketer Usman Khawaja, and academic Waleed Aly |
| Political representation | Labor MP Ed Husic, Australia's first Muslim member of Cabinet |
| History | First contact with Islam when Muslim fishermen from Makassar (Indonesia) visited North-Western Australia before British settlement in 1788 |
| Cameleers from several countries, known as 'Afghans', brought the first formal establishment of Islam in the 1860s | |
| Australia became a refuge for Muslims fleeing conflicts in Lebanon, Bosnia, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, and Afghanistan post-WW2 |
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What You'll Learn
Muslim population growth
Islam is the second-largest religion in Australia, with 813,392 people identifying as Muslim in the 2021 Census, constituting 3.2% of the total Australian population. This represents a growth in the Muslim population since the 2016 Census, when 2.6% of the population identified as Muslim. Demographers attribute this growth to relatively high birth rates and recent immigration patterns.
Islam first came to Australia when Muslim fishermen from Makassar, now part of Indonesia, visited North-Western Australia long before British settlement in 1788. Cameleers from several countries, including Afghanistan, arrived in the mid-to-late 19th century, bringing with them the first formal establishment of Islam in the country. From the 1950s onwards, Australia experienced an influx of post-war immigrants from Muslim-majority countries, contributing to the growth of the Muslim population.
In recent decades, Australia has become a refuge for Muslims fleeing conflicts in Lebanon, Bosnia, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, and Afghanistan. General immigration, religious conversion to Islam, and Australia's participation in UN refugee efforts have further contributed to the growth of the Muslim community. The Muslim population in Australia is diverse, with overseas-born Muslims coming from various nations and ethnic groups, including large Lebanese and Turkish communities.
The Muslim population in Australia is relatively young, with a higher proportion of young people and fewer individuals between the working ages of 25-64. The majority of Muslims in Australia are Sunni, with significant Shia minorities. Notable Australian Muslims include boxer Anthony Mundine, cricketer Usman Khawaja, and Labor MP Ed Husic, who became Australia's first Muslim member of Cabinet in 2013.
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Gender and age distribution
The Muslim population in Australia is diverse, with Muslims from various cultural, sect, linguistic, and national backgrounds. In 2001, there were 148,442 (53%) male Muslims and 133,132 (47%) female Muslims in Australia. This is in comparison to the Australian population as a whole, which is 49% male and 51% female.
Muslims in Australia have a higher proportion of young people and a lower proportion of people between the working ages of 25-64 or 65 and above. The median age for Islam was 28 years, which is lower than Hinduism (31 years) and Sikhism (30 years). The Muslim population in Australia also has the highest fertility rate at 3.03.
In 2021, there were around 150,000 Muslims in Australia aged 25 to 34, a rise of 25,000 people in that age group from 2016. Around 36% of Muslims are Australian-born, with 58% born overseas. Of those born overseas, 9% were born in Lebanon and 7% in Turkey.
The states and territories with the highest proportion of Muslims are New South Wales (3.58%) and Victoria (3.32%), with the lowest being Queensland. In 2016, 42% of Muslims lived in Greater Sydney, 31% in Greater Melbourne, and 8% in Greater Perth.
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Religious conversion
Islam is the second-largest religion in Australia, with 813,392 people or 3.2% of the total population identifying as Muslim in the 2021 Census. This number includes adherents from all forms of Islam and all denominations and sects, with the majority being Sunni and a significant minority belonging to the Shia denomination. The Muslim population in Australia has grown due to relatively high birth rates and recent immigration patterns.
The history of Islam in Australia dates back to the mid-19th century when camel drivers, known as 'Afghans', brought the first formal establishment of the religion to the country. These cameleers, who were predominantly Muslim, settled near Alice Springs and other areas of the Northern Territory, and some intermarried with the Indigenous population. Over time, various other Muslim communities have also migrated to Australia, including Bangladeshis, Bosnians, and Egyptians, with the majority settling in Sydney and Melbourne.
In recent decades, there has also been a rise in interest in Islam and conversion among non-Muslims in the West, including Australia. While the exact number of converts is not readily available, academic scholarship and surveys have begun to explore the motivations, religious identities, and social connections of these Western converts. Despite the rise of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment post-9/11, significant numbers of Australians have converted to Islam. This has led to Western Muslim converts being viewed with curiosity, suspicion, and sometimes hostility.
The phenomenon of conversion to Islam in Australia has been studied through surveys such as the 2019 Islam in Australia Survey and other academic research. These studies have explored various aspects, including the backgrounds of converts, their interpretations of political Islam, and their perspectives on issues such as the caliphate, shariah, jihad, and the relationship between Islam and politics. While there is a view that Western converts may be more susceptible to extremist rhetoric, empirical evidence often does not support these claims. Overall, the conversion to Islam in Australia is a complex and diverse topic that continues to shape the religious landscape of the country.
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Immigration patterns
Australia's Muslim population is diverse, with people from various cultural, sectarian, linguistic, and national backgrounds. The immigration patterns of Muslims to Australia have evolved over time, influenced by historical events and shifts in immigration policies.
Historical records indicate that Muslims first arrived in Australia in the 17th century, with some settling as early as 1802. However, the first significant Muslim settlement occurred in the 1860s when Afghan cameleers and their families migrated to the country. During this period, Australia's White-only immigration policy restricted the entry of non-White Muslims. Despite these restrictions, small groups of Albanian Muslims arrived after World War I, and their numbers grew in the 1920s and 1930s due to their compatibility with the White Australia Policy. This influx revived the Australian Muslim community, which was previously in decline.
Following World War II, Australia's immigration policy broadened, allowing the entry of displaced White European Muslims, particularly from the Balkans, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia, and other parts of Europe like Cyprus, Poland, Hungary, Russia, and Turkey. This period also witnessed the arrival of Lebanese Muslims, with their population increasing significantly during the Lebanese Civil War. By 1976, the Lebanese Muslim community in Australia had grown to 45,200 people, or 0.33% of the country's population.
In the 1970s, Australia's immigration policies underwent a significant shift towards multiculturalism, dismantling the remaining vestiges of the White Australia policy. This change facilitated the migration of non-White, non-European Muslims, further diversifying the Muslim population in Australia. Sydney, with its notable Lebanese Muslim population, has approximately 3.4% of its residents identifying as Muslim, while Greater Melbourne has a Muslim population of approximately 4.2%.
In recent years, the largest source countries of Muslim migrants to Australia have included Pakistan and Malaysia, with smaller proportions from countries like Iran and Iraq. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2013, just over 2% of Australia's population identified as Muslims, with 61.5% of them being immigrants and the remaining 39.5% being Australian-born, second-generation Muslims. While most Australian Muslims adapt to their new country, they also strive to retain their original culture, language, and religious identity, contributing to the rich cultural tapestry of Australian society.
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Muslim communities
Islam is the second-largest religion in Australia, with 813,392 people or 3.2% of the population identifying as Muslim in the 2021 Census. This number has grown from 2.2% in 2011 and 1.7% in 2001. Demographers attribute the growth of Muslim communities in Australia to relatively high birth rates and recent immigration patterns. Indeed, since the 1970s, Australia has become a refuge for Muslims fleeing conflicts in Lebanon, Bosnia, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, and Afghanistan. General immigration, religious conversion to Islam, and Australia's participation in UN refugee efforts have also contributed to the growth of Muslim communities in the country.
The vast majority of Muslims in Australia are Sunni, with significant Shia minorities. There are also smaller Muslim communities that practice Sufism, Ismaili Islam, and Druzism. The Druze, who practice Druzism, are reported to have around 20,000 followers in Australia. Sufism has played an important role in Muslim engagement with Australia and its peoples, with evidence of Qadiri Sufis among the cameleers who first brought Islam to Australia in the 19th century.
Muslim Australians come from a variety of national and ethnic backgrounds. Around 36% of Muslims in Australia are Australian-born, while overseas-born Muslims include large Lebanese and Turkish communities. Bangladeshi Muslims are primarily located in Western Sydney and southeast Melbourne, with mosques in Sefton and Huntingdale. Egyptian Muslims in Sydney are represented by The Islamic Egyptian Society, which has managed the Arkana College in Kingsgrove since 1986. Bosnian Muslims have predominantly arrived in Australia after 1992, with most of the community living in the southeast of Melbourne and the southwest of Sydney, where there are Bosnian-run mosques in Deer Park, Noble Park, Penshurst, and Smithfield.
Notable Australian Muslims include boxer Anthony Mundine, community worker and rugby league star Hazem El Masri, cricketer Usman Khawaja, and academic Waleed Aly. In 2013, Labor MP Ed Husic became Australia's first Muslim member of Cabinet.
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Frequently asked questions
According to the 2021 Census, 813,392 people identified as Muslim, constituting 3.2% of the total Australian population.
Islam is the second-largest religion in Australia, after Christianity, which accounts for 43.9% of the population. Almost 40% of Australians reported having no religion in the 2021 Census.
According to the 2001 Census, 53% of Australian Muslims were male, and 47% were female. 36% of Muslims are Australian-born, and overseas-born Muslims come from a variety of countries, with large Lebanese and Turkish communities.
