Once a majority in Belgrade, Islam now represents a minority faith across modern Serbia

Countries & Cities · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In 1660, Muslims comprised over half of Belgrade's population, with grand mosques rivaling the Hagia Sophia. Today, Islam is a minority religion in Serbia, shaped by centuries of shifting borders, state-led expulsions, and complex administrative divisions that continue to influence the community's organization in the twenty-first century.

The presence of Islam in Serbia expanded significantly following the Ottoman conquest in the 15th century. This growth was largely driven by the conversion of the local Slavic population, motivated by economic and socio-political factors, rather than mass migration from Anatolia. Under the Ottoman millet system, Muslims held a privileged status, though other faiths were granted a degree of autonomy. During this era, Belgrade was a center of Islamic life; in 1660, traveler Evliya Çelebi estimated the city had 108,000 residents, with Muslims accounting for approximately 57,000 of them.

The landscape changed drastically during the 19th century as Serbia moved toward independence. Between 1793 and 1867, the Muslim population in the Principality of Serbia declined sharply due to conflict and state-sanctioned expulsions. By the 1860s, only about 10,000 Muslims remained. The destruction of mosques was widespread, with dozens demolished in cities like Užice and Smederevo. By the late 19th century, only the Bajrakli Mosque in Belgrade survived, a structure that remains the city's sole Muslim place of worship today.

Following the 1878 Congress of Berlin, Serbia acquired new territories with large Muslim populations, necessitating legal guarantees for religious freedom. The 20th century brought further administrative shifts, including the 1930 Law on the Islamic Religious Community, which unified Yugoslav Muslims under a single authority in Belgrade. However, internal divisions persisted. In 2007, these tensions culminated in the formation of two rival organizations: the Belgrade-based Islamic Community of Serbia and the Novi Pazar-based Islamic Community in Serbia, which maintains institutional ties to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Today, Muslims make up 4.2% of Serbia's population, totaling 278,212 people according to the 2022 census. The faith is primarily concentrated in the Sandžak region and the Preševo Valley. The community remains ethnically diverse, including Bosniaks, Albanians, and a significant portion of the Roma population, reflecting a long, complex history of integration and transformation within the Serbian state.

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