The cost-of-living crisis has made things harder for Muslims, and many more people are now seeking financial help through Zakat, according to National Zakat Foundation (NZF).

The charity, which provides financial support to Muslims across the UK, has analysed its internal data to reveal the regions where Muslims struggle most.

These were ranked highest to lowest to find the areas where Muslims are most in need.

Topping the list is Glasgow, with NZF helping 914 people across the twelve months analysed, equalling £244,097 worth of Zakat.

Birmingham, the largest Muslim population in the UK, took second place. NZF helped 887 people during the year, utilising £279,343 worth of Zakat.

In third place is the London borough of Brent, as NZF supported 885 people across the 12 months with £283,654 worth of Zakat.

The top three areas show that Muslim poverty knows no geographical boundaries in the UK; it permeates the length and breadth of the country.

Recent data shows that Muslims are amongst the most deprived in the UK — 50% of the population live in poverty, compared to 18% of the national population.

The 10 areas where Muslims are struggling the most in the UK

1. Glasgow
2. Birmingham
3. Brent
4. Bradford
5. Manchester
6. Newham
7. Belfast
8. Ealing
9. Barnet
10. Liverpool

Increasing number of people asking for help

Dr Sohail Hanif, CEO of NZF, said: “We are seeing an ever-rising number of people asking for help. A year ago, Muslims were submitting support applications to NZF at a rate of one person every 30 minutes. Now, we’ve seen the demand rise even further, to one application every 12 minutes.

“Most of our applications used to come from groups such as asylum seekers, but now 70% of applicants are British citizens - people who were born here in the UK.

“There are a lot of families struggling and we are seeing people in arrears with their energy bills, families asking for help with day to day living costs, and many who may have borrowed money from family and friends and are worried about how they’ll pay that back.”

In the last twelve months, the NZF has raised £5.4m of Zakat from Muslims across the country. But the demand has outstripped supply with the organisation distributing £6.1m of Zakat to those in need.  

The organisation also revealed data around the counties in which Muslims are struggling the most.

Topping the list is Greater London. NZF helped 6,338 people in twelve months, paying just over £2m in Zakat.  

West Midlands was second with NZF helping 1,616 people with nearly £500k worth of Zakat, while West Yorkshire took third spot with £430,670 worth of Zakat.

The 10 counties where Muslims are struggling the most:

1. Greater London
2. West Midlands
3. West Yorkshire
4. Greater Manchester
5. Lanarkshire
6. Tyne and Wear
7. Merseyside
8. Lancashire
9. South Yorkshire
10. Leicestershire