Muslim population in Britain could TRIPLE by 2050: New study predicts migration and birth rates will see surge in followers of Islam in the UK

The Muslim population could triple in some European countries by 2050, with the UK projected to see one of the most rapid rises throughout the continent.

A report entitled Europe’s Growing Muslim Population said the percentage of Muslims making up the total population of Britain could rise from 9.7 to 17.2 per cent.

It attributed the rise to the levels of migration in 2015 and 2016, plus Muslims as a whole having a higher birth rate and lower average age to other Europeans. As of 2016, the UK’s share of Muslims was recorded as 6.3 per cent, compared to the European total of 4.9 per cent. An inflation to 17.2 per cent in the UK, the highest projected increase, would see the number of Muslims in Britain triple.

The 30 countries it covered include the 28 European Union members, plus Norway and Switzerland. Not all countries would be affected evenly by future immigration, according to the Pew report.

In the high migration scenario, Germany and Sweden would have the biggest increases because both countries took in the most asylum-seekers during the height of the refugee crisis two years ago.

While Muslims made up 6 per cent of Germany’s population last year, their proportion would go up to 20 percent by 2050.

Sweden’s Muslims, who were at 8 per cent in 2016, would account for 31 per cent of the population in that same scenario.

Meanwhile, some countries that had comparatively few Muslim residents in 2016 would continue to have few by 2050 in all three scenarios.