Most Countries Overestimate Their Muslim Population

Out of every 100 people in your country, how many do you think are Muslim? Ipsos MORI recently released a survey gauging the gap between perception and reality on a whole host of topics. The above question found that the vast majority of countries around the world grossly overestimate their Muslim population.

The largest percentage point difference was recorded in France where respondents guessed that their country has 31 Muslims for every 100 people. In reality, however, the correct number is 7.5. In Germany where Angela Merkel recently called for a burqa ban, people overestimated the Muslim population to the tune of 16 percentage points. People in the U.S. guessed that there are 17 Muslims per 100 people whereas the actual number is just 1.