(Hyphen) The government’s plan to lower the voting age to 16 before the next general election will enfranchise more than 150,000 young British Muslims — who will make up more than a tenth of all new voters.
An estimated 156,000 16- and 17-year-old Muslims will be eligible to vote in 2029, based on Hyphen’s analysis of 2021 census data. Muslims in the UK are on average younger than followers of other religions, and 10.7% of the youngest voters in 2029 will be Muslim — compared with 6.5% of the general population.
Young voters are likely to be concentrated into urban areas, with constituencies in Birmingham, Bradford and east London — all areas with high Muslim populations — making up eight of the 10 seats that are currently home to the most 16- and 17-year-olds.
