Some 9 million Muslims live in Russia – research

Courtesy Interfax News Agency

Moscow, April 22, Interfax – 6 per cent or about 8.7 million Russians consider themselves the followers of Islam, sociologists from the All-Russia Public Opinion Research Center stated in compliance with the polls conducted among 1600 people in 153 cities and towns of 46 country’s regions, districts and republics.

This number significantly differs from the one cited by some Russian Muslim leaders who claim that minimum 20 million Muslims reside in Russia.

The highest percent of Muslims, about 17 per cent, live in the Povolzhye Region. Russia’s South holds the second place with it 9 per cent of Muslims. Central Russia and the Far East have about 1 per cent of Muslim population.

73 per cent of Russians call themselves Orthodox.

According to the research, followers of other religious traditions total to less than 1 per cent in Russia.

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