By Admin 
Islam is growing rapidly in Russia. The total population of Russia in 2025 is 14.30 crore, of which 2.14 crore (about 15%) population is Muslim. However, the figures may vary slightly as the official census is not based on religious identity. Estimates of the Muslim population in Russia come from many sources and reports. According to Pew Research, by 2030 the Muslim population in Russia will reach 186 million.
There was strictness on Muslims in Soviet Union
Russia has been a large and diverse country since ancient times. Most Christian Slavic people have lived here for centuries. But Muslims have always been settled in the southern areas of Russia like Chechnya, Dagestan and Tatarstan. During the time of the Soviet Union (1917-1991), there was strictness on religion, so Muslim families continued to follow their traditions quietly. But when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991, everything changed. The Muslim community regained its identity and gradually their numbers started increasing.
How did the Muslim population start increasing in Russia?
According to the report of Ponar Eurasia, in the early 1990s the total population of Russia was about 148 million. The number of Muslims in this was estimated at 14-16 million, i.e. about 10% of the total population. Then this number started increasing continuously. There are two reasons for this…
- The first reason is that more children were being born in Muslim families. The birth rate in Muslim-majority areas of Russia was above the national average. There were about 2.3 children per woman, whereas in the whole of Russia it was around 1.4.
- The second reason is migration. Millions of people from Central Asian countries like Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan came to Russia in search of work. These were mostly Muslims and they used to settle in big cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg. By 2010, more than 1 million Muslims started living in Moscow alone.
According to Ponars Eurasia, time passed and in 2010 the Muslim population reached 16 million, i.e. 11.7%. But the total population of Russia was decreasing. Less births and more deaths. In Muslim areas, families were stronger, there were more children and new people kept coming.
According to a survey by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM), 7% of Russians consider themselves Muslims. But the estimate of Muslim leaders like Chief Mufti Ravil Ganutdin is higher. He says that the Muslim population in the total population of Russia is 17%, that is, there are 25 million or 25 million Muslims in the whole of Russia.
How fast is the Muslim population increasing in Russia?
According to the report of Ponars Asia, the growth rate of Muslim population in Russia ranges from 0.6% to 1-2% annually, which is faster than the decline of the total population of Russia (-0.2%). Experts believe that by 2030 the Muslim population may reach 18.6 million (14.4%).
But it all depends on birth rate and migration. If less people come from Central Asia or if births in Muslim areas also decrease then the number may reduce. Think tanks like Ponars Asia say it would make Russia more diverse. Will keep the North Caucasus calm, change foreign policy and reshape Russian identity.