- A third of all Muslims in England and Wales are aged 15 and under
- Analysis of 2011 Census suggests Muslim population has risen by 75%
- Number in UK increased from 1.5 million in 2001 to 2.7 million in 2011
- Research was carried out by the Muslim Council of Britain
- In some parts of Birmingham more than 80% of school pupils are Muslim
The number of Muslim children in England and Wales has doubled in a decade, according to the most detailed study of its kind.
An analysis of 2011 Census data carried out by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) suggests the Muslim population increased by more than a million in the ten years from 2001, rising 75 per cent from 1.5 million to 2.7 million.
The research shows that one in 12 school-age children is now Muslim, and a third of all Muslims are aged 15 and under, with half under the age of 25.
A new study undertaken by the Muslim Council of Britain has analysed the 2011 Census to reveal details of Britain's growing Muslim population - as seen in this info graphic
The number of Muslim children in England and Wales has doubled in a decade, according to an analysis of 2011 Census data for the Muslim Council of Britain (file photo)
And, due to settlement patterns, in some inner city areas as many as 86 per cent of all children aged between five and 15 are officially classed as Muslim.
The British Muslims in Numbers report, led by Dr Sundas Ali of the University of Oxford, was undertaken by the MCB to provide detailed statistics on Muslims in the UK, and the issues affecting them, such as education, employment and health.
It also predicts that by 2021, there will be approximately 300,000 Muslim teenagers in England and Wales.
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Although more than half of all Muslims in the UK were born outside of the country, 73 per cent of those practising the religion said their national identity was British, the report found. It also states that around one in 20 of the population was Muslim.
Due to settlement patterns, three-quarters of the Muslim population was concentrated in London, the West Midlands, the North West and Yorkshire and Humber and 46 per cent lived in the top 10 per cent of the country's most deprived areas.
In some inner city wards the percentage of Muslim pupils is very high, with more than 60 per cent of children in schools in Tower Hamlets identifying as Muslim. Overall the London borough is 34.5 per cent Muslim.
Although 47.2 per cent of Muslims were born in the UK, 73 per cent state their national identity is British
Just 29 per cent of Muslim women aged between 16 and 24 are in employment, compared with around 50 per cent in the overall population
The Muslim prison population is 'disproportionately large', according to researchers, with Muslims accounting 13 per cent of prisoners within England and Wales
Many wards in Birmingham have young Muslims making up more than 80 per cent of a school's intake, such as the Washwood Heath ward where 86 per cent of children are Muslims.
The research states there has been a significant improvement in Muslim education - with just a quarter not having any qualifications compared with two in five in 2001 - just one in five was in full-time employment.
This compares with one in three of the wider population, with the researchers saying Muslims face a 'double penalty ... in entering the labour market - of racial discrimination as well as Islamophobia'.
The report also found that:
- The Muslim prison population is 'disproportionately large', according to researchers, with Muslims accounting 13 per cent of prisoners within England and Wales
- There is a higher rate of unemployment among Muslim women compared with the wider population
- Almost half of the country's Muslim population was born in the UK
The report stated that while the vast majority of Muslims in Britain speak English, six per cent struggle with the language, while 24 per cent of Muslims over 16 are qualified to degree level, compared to 27 per cent of the general population.
Although the 2011 Census revealed there were 329,694 Muslim full-time students in 2011 - 43 per cent of them female and 57 per cent male, the study found that 71 per cent of Muslim women between the ages of 16 and 24 were not in employment - compared to 50 per cent of the wider population.
In some inner city wards the percentage of Muslim pupils is very high, with more than 60 per cent of children in schools in Tower Hamlets, where this family was pictured, identifying as Muslim
Almost half of Muslims in Britain were born in the United Kingdom or Northern Ireland, according to the study
A third of Muslims in Britain are aged 15 and under, and half are under the age of 25
Although more than half were born outside of the country, 73 per cent of Muslims said their national identity was British, according to the report
Among women aged between 25 and 49, 57 per cent of Muslim women were in work, compared with 80 per cent of women overall, according to the report.
'There are many stakeholders rightly concerned with the well-being and educational potential of Muslim and BME [Black and Minority Ethnic] youth,' the report states.
'The need of the hour is to address issues such as underachievement, low teacher expectations, high rates of student exclusions, racism and Islamophobia, lack of role models and levels of parental involvement.'
Talha Ahmad, a senior member of the MCB, told the BBC the significant rise in the population could be put down in part to refugees from countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq and conversions.
Other factors in population growth are the age profile of British Muslims - with more people at an age where they would be raising children - the traditions of larger families within some ethnic groups, the fact there was a better response to the Census's question on religion, and the possibility that numbers may have been under-counted in 2001.
'About one third of Muslims are under 15, it's quite a youthful population,' Mr Ahmad told the broadcaster. 'And also, more striking, is the fact that only four per cent of Muslims are 65 or over.'
He added: 'We know there is a growing proportion of the Muslim population who are actually converted Muslims - they are the indigenous white population, the black population - all sorts of people.
The significant rise in population can be put down in part to refugees from countries such as Afghanistan, conversions, and the fact that many British Muslims are at an age when they are raising children
'But we have also seen that during the last decade there have been a number of conflicts that have affected the Muslim community, for example the Somali community is a growing factor.
'You have Iraqis, Afghans and others who are coming here as refugees and so on. There are multiple factors and also many Muslims are moving from European countries.
'It's a youthful population. It's still producing people but the elderly population is still not there to balance it out. It would seem as if they have had a disproportionately larger growth rate compared to the other populations but that is simply because it does not have the older population to balance it out.'
The report said: 'There is need for various stakeholders - Muslim civil society, policy institutes, employers, trade unions and the Department for Work and Pensions - to facilitate conditions and opportunities in the labour market.
'Muslim civil society needs to have a better appreciation of the social realities.'
Explaining the purpose of the study, Dr Ali told MailOnline described the research as 'ground-breaking', and said it was the first of its kind to be undertaken.
Some 65.8 per cent of school pupils in Tower Hamlets, London are Muslim, compared to 34.5 per cent of the wider population
The majority of people living in Britain are Christian, but those who told the 2011 they were Muslim amount to more than those who put down any other minority religion combined
'The research centres on 94 per cent of the population - that's the largest sample size you can get,' she said.
'It was much needed because there is so much interest in the Muslim community but we didn't have a set of statistics. We had data from the Office of National Statistics, but no one had analysed it before.
'This report covers Muslim life across a number of areas - education, the labour market, deprivation, health.'
Dr Ali said the study was released now as it had taken a year to analyse all the data contained in the Census.
'Although the Census was carried out in 2011, they release the data in stages so the data for the 2011 Census was released in 2013,' she said.
'We started analysing it in 2013, it took a year to analyse and consult academics to get their feedback.'
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: 'Taking data from the 2011 Census, this important new report from the Muslim Council of Britain helps give us a snapshot of the socio-economic challenges and opportunities now facing Britain's Muslim communities.
'What's not in doubt is that British Muslims can be proud of the contribution they make to our country.
'Drawing on analysis like this, together, we can help create jobs, drive growth and enable more people to get on - building the stronger economy and fairer society we want for Britain's future.'
Ref:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2950372/Number-Muslim-children-England-Wales-doubles-decade-one-12-school-pupils-brought-Islamic-faith.html
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