Immigrants and Religion: Muslim Population on the Rise, but Christians Remain the Majority – Press release July 2025

Milan, July 10, 2025

According to estimates by ISMU Foundation, based on the latest field research and Istat registry data, as of January 1, 2025, Christians continue to make up the majority of foreign residents in Italy. For the first time, Muslims have surpassed the 30% threshold of the foreign resident population, totaling around 1.7 million people, including minors.

When Christian denominations are considered separately, Muslims now represent the largest religious group among foreigners in Italy, overtaking Orthodox Christians, who previously held the majority and are now estimated at just over 1.5 million. The Christian group also includes approximately 900,000 Catholics and around 370,000 members of other Christian denominations, such as Protestants, Copts, and others.

In numerical terms, foreign citizens belonging to other faiths are significantly fewer, in particular Buddhists (around 180,000), Hindus (about 120,000), and Sikhs (around 90,000).

Countries of Origin. Among Muslims, Moroccans remain by far the largest group, although their numbers have declined to just over 400,000. The number of citizens from Bangladesh (almost 180,000) and Pakistan (nearly 170,000) is growing rapidly, and both groups have now surpassed Albanians, who currently total just over 150,000.

Among Orthodox Christians, Romanians remain the largest group, with approximately 850,000 individuals—still the absolute majority. However, their numbers are decreasing, while the Ukrainian population is growing, currently estimated at about 260,000.

Focus on Lombardy. In Lombardy, Italy’s leading region in terms of immigrant population, Christians as a whole (610,000) outnumber Muslims, who total just under 400,000. The proportion of Muslims in Lombardy is higher than in other areas. Orthodox Christians number fewer than 280,000. Among other religions, Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs each count between 30,000 and 40,000 followers.

Looking at national origins, the largest Muslim national group in Lombardy is Moroccan, with over 80,000 residents. Egyptians are similarly represented, with around 80,000 Muslims and nearly 30,000 Copts. Among Orthodox Christians, the gap between Romanians (130,000) and Ukrainians (60,000) is less pronounced than in the rest of the country.