Ahmadiyya is an Islamic religious movement originating in 1889 in northern India around the teachings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908), who claimed to have been divinely appointed as both the promised Mahdi and Messiah expected by Muslims to appear towards the end times.

As of 2016 the Community has been established in 209 countries and territories of the world.[1][2][3][n 1] with concentrations in South Asia, West Africa, East Africa and Indonesia. The Community is a minority Muslim group in almost every country of the world. On the other hand, it has spread to most countries of the world.[4][5] In some countries, it is practically illegal to be an Ahmadi Muslim. For instance, in Pakistan, following Ordinance XX, Ahmadis cannot call themselves Muslims, profess the Islamic creed publicly or call their places of worship mosques. The religious slur "Qadiani" has been used against Ahmadi Muslims and the community has also been persecuted. Together, these factors make it difficult to estimate the Ahmadiyya population for both the Community itself and as well as independent organizations. For this reason, the Community gives a figure of "tens of millions";[6] however, most independent sources variously estimate the population to be at least 10 to 20 million[7] worldwide, thereby representing around 1% of the world's Muslim population.[n 2]

According to the World Christian Encyclopedia, the Ahmadiyya movement is the fastest growing Islamic group as of the early 21st century.[n 3] The country with the largest Ahmadiyya population is Pakistan, with an estimated 4 million Ahmadi Muslims.[8] Excluding small nations, the country with the largest proportion of Ahmadi Muslims to the wider Muslim population is Ghana, standing at 16%. The country with the highest percentage of the overall population is Sierra Leone standing at over 8%.

The population is almost entirely contained in the single, organized and united movement, commonly referred to as the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (AMC), headed by the Khalifa. The other is the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement, a separatist group which, though historically significant, has failed to attract a sizeable following representing less than 0.2% of the total Ahmadiyya population.[n 4]

Countries

Maps

The following maps summarize the data presented in the table below.

World Ahmadi Muslim population. (Sources are various. See table below.)
World Ahmadi Muslims as a percentage of Muslims. (Sources are various. See table below.)

Table

The following figures display estimates of the number of Ahmadi Muslims and their percentages by country. However, it does not list all the countries with the Ahmadiyya presence.

 
Baitul Huda Mosque, Sydney, Australia
 
Baitul Islam mosque, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada
 
Ahmadiyya Central mosque, Tamale, Ghana
 
Mahmood mosque, Haifa, Israel, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea
 
Mahdi Mosque, Old Harbour, Jamaica
 
Baitul Nasr Mosque, Oslo, Norway
 
Baitul Ahad - The Japan Mosque, Tsushima, Japan
 
Ahmadiyya Mosque, Barkatpura, India
Country/Region Ahmadiyya population Percentage (%) of Muslims Percentage (%) of
population
Notes/
Sources
  Algeria (details) 2,000 < 0.1 < 0.1 Estimate[9][10]
  Argentina (details) 15,500 2.0 < 0.1 Estimate[11]
  Australia (details) 3,000 0.8 < 0.1 Estimate[12]
  Austria (details) 300 0.1 < 0.1 Estimate[13]
  Bangladesh (details) 100,000 0.1 0.1 Estimate[14][n 5]
  Belarus (details) 30 0.2 < 0.1 Estimate[15]
  Belgium (details) 1,250 0.2 < 0.1 Estimate[16]
  Belize (details) 50 1.8 < 0.1 Estimate[17]
  Brazil (details) 20 0.1 < 0.1 Estimate[18]
  Bulgaria (details) 400 < 0.1 < 0.1 Estimate[19]
  Cameroon (details) 430,000 12.0 2.2 PRC[20]
  Canada (details) 25,000 2.5 0.1 Estimate[21]
  Chad (details) 220,000 4.0 2.0 PRC[20]
  Congo (details) 540,000 6.0 0.7 PRC[20]
  Denmark (details) 600 0.3 < 0.1 Estimate[22]
  Egypt (details) 50,000 0.1 < 0.1 Estimate[23]
  Fiji (details) 2,000 3.6 0.3 1996 Census[n 6]
  France (details) 1,000 < 0.1 < 0.1 Estimate[24]
  Germany (details) 45,000 0.9 < 0.1 Estimate[25][26][27]
  Ghana (details) 635,000 16.0 2.5 PRC[20][n 7]
  Guatemala (details) 1,000 10 < 0.1 Estimate[28]
  Guinea Bissau (details) 13,000 2.0 0.8 PRC[20]
  Guyana (details) 200* 0.4 < 0.1 Estimate[n 8]
  India (details) 1,000,000 0.6 < 0.1 Estimate[29][30]
  Indonesia (details) 400,000 0.2 0.2 ARDA[31][32]
  Ireland (details) 500 1.2 < 0.1 Estimate[33]
  Israel (details) 2,200 0.2 < 0.1 Estimate[34]
  Italy (details) 500 < 0.1 < 0.1 Estimate[35]
  Jamaica (details) 100 2.0 < 0.1 Estimate[36]
  Japan (details) 300 0.3 < 0.1 Estimate[37]
  Kazakhstan (details) 500 < 0.1 < 0.1 Estimate[38]
  Kenya (details) 198,000 4.0 0.3 PRC[20]
  Kyrgyzstan (details) 1,000 < 0.1 < 0.1 Estimate[39]
  Lesotho (details) 350 35.0 < 0.1 AMC[40]: 76 
  Liberia (details) 85,000 10.0 1.2 PRC[20]
  Malaysia (details) 2,000 < 0.1 < 0.1 Estimate[41]
  Mali (details) 260,000 2.0 1.6 PRC[20]
  Marshall Islands (details) 10 100.0 < 0.1 Estimate[42]
  Mauritius (details) 4,000 1.9 0.3 Estimate[43]
  Mexico (details) 100 2.7 < 0.1 Esitimate[44]
  Morocco (details) 500 < 0.1 < 0.1 Esitimate[45]
  Netherlands (details) 1,500 0.2 < 0.1 Estimate[46]
  New Zealand (details) 400 1.0 < 0.1 Estimate[47]
  Niger (details) 970,000 6.0 5.5 PRC[20]
  Nigeria (details) 2,840,000 3.0 1.3 PRC[20]
  Norway (details) 1,600 1.0 < 0.1 Estimate[48]
  Pakistan (details) 600,000 – 4,900,000 0.3 – 2.2 0.3 – 2.2 Various estimates[n 9]
  Poland (details) 38 0.2 < 0.1 Estimate[49]
  Russia (details) 50 < 0.1 < 0.1 Estimate[38]
  Senegal (details) 116,000 1.0 0.9 PRC[20]
  Sierra Leone (details) 500,000 12.0 8.1 AMC
  Singapore (details) 200 < 0.1 < 0.1 1970s Estimate[50]
  Solomon Islands (details) 1,000 50.0 0.2 Estimate[n 10]
  Spain (details) 500 < 0.1 < 0.1 Estimate[51]
  Suriname (details) 14,000 18.9 2.6 2012 Census[n 11]
  Swaziland (details) 250 12.5 < 0.1 AMC[40]: 107 
  Sweden (details) 800 0.2 < 0.1 Estimate.[n 12]
   Switzerland (details) 800 0.2 < 0.1 Estimate[52]
  Tanzania (details) 2,540,000 15.0 4.5 PRC[20]
  Thailand (details) 300 < 0.1 < 0.1 AMC Estimate[53]
  Trinidad and Tobago (details) 500* 0.7 < 0.1 Estimate[n 13]
  Tuvalu (details) 50 100.0 0.5 2005 Estimate[54]
  Uganda (details) 192,000 4.0 0.5 PRC[20]
  United Kingdom (details) 30,000 1.0 < 0.1 Estimate[55]
  United States (details) 15,000 0.6 < 0.1 Estimate[56]
  Zambia (details) 500 0.8 < 0.1 Estimate[57]

See also

Islam:

Other religions:

References

Notes

  1. ^ Depending on the definition, there are 195 or 196 countries in the world, of which 193 are member states of the United Nations. Under the constitutive theory of statehood there are 206 sovereign states. There are dozens of territories and colonies that are sometimes erroneously called "countries". See:
    • "The Number of Countries in the World". Archived from the original on September 23, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  2. ^ A figure of 10 to 20 million represents 0.62% to 1.25% of the world's Muslim population.
  3. ^ The Ahmadiyya Movement has been the fastest growing Islamic group according to the World Christian Encyclopedia for a number of decades. For this, see earlier editions. The 2001 edition places the growth rate at 3.25%, which is the highest of all Islamic sects and schools of thought. See:
    • David B. Barrett; George Thomas Kurian; Todd M. Johnson, eds. (February 15, 2001). World Christian Encyclopedia. Oxford University Press USA. ISBN 0195079639.
  4. ^ The Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement has unofficially stated its total population to be up to 30,000, of which 5,000 to 10,000 live in Pakistan. On this basis, the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement represents approximately 0.2% of the total Ahmadiyya population.See:
  5. ^ There is also an upper estimate of 200,000 Ahmadi Muslims in Bangladesh.
  6. ^ The actual figure as stated in the 1996 census is 1,976.
  7. ^ Ghana's Muslims have previously raised concern over the census figures which states that 17% of Ghanaians belong to the Muslim faith. It is claimed that Muslims represent somewhere between 30 and 45% of Ghana. Under this, the Ahmadiyya population would number almost 2 million. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community itself gives an estimate of over 2 million Ahmadis in Ghana. See:
  8. ^ There are over 200 members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Guyana. However, the Lahore Ahmadiyya movement is also active in Guyana, for which figures are unavailable at the moment. Thus, a figure of 200 is unlikely to be representative of the total Ahmadiyya population. See:
  9. ^ The 1998 Pakistani census states that there are 291,000 (0.22%) Ahmadis in Pakistan. However, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has boycotted the census since 1974 which renders official Pakistani figures to be inaccurate. Independent groups have estimated the Pakistani Ahmadiyya population to be somewhere between 2 million and 4 million Ahmadis. However, the 4 million figure is the most quoted figure. See:
  10. ^ It is estimated that there are 1,000 Ahmadis in the country. However, Sunni Muslims claim to have more followers in the country. Taking a lower bound, it can be stipulated that Ahmadis represent 50% of the country's Muslims. See
    • Flower, Scott (September 2008). "Muslims in Melanesia: putting security issues in perspective". Australian Journal of International Affairs. 62 (3). Taylor & Francis: 408–429. doi:10.1080/10357710802286841. S2CID 153502801.
  11. ^ The exact figure as stated in the 2012 census is 14,161
  12. ^ Estimates range from 500 to 1,100. See:
  13. ^ There are over 500 members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. However, there is also a large presence of the Lahore Ahmadiyya movement, for which figures are unavailable. Thus, a figure of 500 is unlikely to be representative of the total Ahmadiyya population. See:

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