September 28, 2026 · Professional Development, Research · 8 min read
The strongest case for an Islamic finance statistics page is not to collect the biggest numbers. It is to make them comparable. Different reports measure different parts of the industry, use different cut-off dates and apply different definitions. This 2026 evidence guide therefore keeps the source, year, scope and limitation beside each major figure.

ICD and LSEG reported that global Islamic finance assets reached US$5.98 trillion in 2024, a 21% year-on-year increase. Their 2025 report analyses data from 140 countries, while the associated database covers more than 2,000 Islamic financial institutions, including banks and takaful operators as well as sukuk, Islamic funds and Shariah scholars.
Source: ICD–LSEG Islamic Finance Development Report 2025
The US$5.98 trillion figure is a broad industry measure from the Islamic Finance Development Report. It should not automatically be mixed with totals from other bodies that use narrower definitions, different sector coverage or different data cut-offs.
| Question to check | Why it changes the number |
|---|---|
| What is the data year? | A report published in 2025 may primarily describe the 2024 financial year. |
| Which sectors are included? | Some datasets cover a broad Islamic finance universe, while others focus on prudentially regulated financial services or specific segments. |
| Are figures assets, issuance or outstanding stock? | Sukuk issued during a year is different from sukuk still outstanding at year end. |
| What countries are covered? | Country coverage can materially change the global total. |
| Are estimates used where primary data are unavailable? | Methodology affects comparability and revision risk. |
The World Bank reported approximately US$180 billion of total sukuk issuance in 2024. It identified Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia as the largest issuance jurisdictions during the year.
Source: World Bank, State of the Sukuk Market and Prospects for Growth, March 2025
Named by the World Bank among the largest sukuk issuance jurisdictions in 2024 and a long-established Islamic capital-market centre.
Also among the largest 2024 issuance jurisdictions, reflecting the scale of Islamic finance within the GCC capital markets.
Named among the largest issuers and notable for sovereign green sukuk activity.
The World Bank also noted several high-profile 2024 transactions, including a 30-year Indonesian green sukuk, a US$5 billion Saudi issuance and a US$2.5 billion sustainability sukuk from the Islamic Development Bank. These examples show the diversity of sovereign and supranational issuance, but they should not be treated as representative deal sizes for the market as a whole.
According to the World Bank, green and sustainable sukuk had grown to represent around 10% of the overall sukuk market by its 2025 review. The first green sukuk was issued in Malaysia in 2017, and the format has since been used by sovereigns, supranationals, corporates and financial institutions.
That does not mean 10% of all Islamic finance assets are green. The figure relates specifically to the sukuk market described in the World Bank analysis.
~10%
~90%
Illustrative share based on the World Bank’s statement that green and sustainable sukuk represented around 10% of the overall sukuk market in its 2025 review.
LSEG’s Islamic Finance Development Report evaluates countries across financial performance, governance, knowledge, sustainability and awareness. Its 2025 edition draws on 140 countries, which is useful evidence of the industry’s geographical reach.
Geographical reach, however, should not be confused with equal market depth. A country can have an Islamic finance presence without having the same banking penetration, sukuk market, regulatory infrastructure or product range as established centres.
Asset size, market activity and the performance of Islamic finance sectors.
The institutional and regulatory environment supporting Islamic finance.
Education, research and professional capability needed to sustain the ecosystem.
How the industry connects to broader sustainability themes and public/market understanding.
| Headline | What it supports | What it does not support |
|---|---|---|
| US$5.98T global assets | Islamic finance is economically significant at global scale. | That every country or product segment is growing at the same rate. |
| 21% annual growth | The broad LSEG-measured industry expanded strongly in 2024. | That 21% is a permanent long-term growth rate. |
| US$180B sukuk issuance | Sukuk remain a large active capital-market segment. | That issuance equals the total amount of sukuk outstanding. |
| 140-country analysis | The industry has wide international coverage. | That all 140 countries have mature or systemically important Islamic finance markets. |
| 2,000+ institutions in the database | The ecosystem includes a large number of tracked institutions and market entities. | That every institution is the same size, type or regulatory status. |
For professionals, the data are most useful when they inform a specific decision rather than acting as promotional decoration.
Use country and sector data to identify where Islamic banking, sukuk, takaful or investment products have meaningful depth.
Growing market activity increases the need for professionals who understand structuring, Sharia governance, risk, documentation and regulation.
Sukuk data can help organisations understand whether an Islamic capital-market route deserves further feasibility work.
Evidence can help financial institutions distinguish a real market opportunity from a fashionable product label.
| Metric | Figure | Data period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Islamic finance assets | US$5.98 trillion | 2024 | ICD–LSEG Islamic Finance Development Report 2025 |
| Year-on-year asset growth | 21% | 2024 vs 2023 | ICD–LSEG Islamic Finance Development Report 2025 |
| Countries in IFDI analysis | 140 | 2025 report | ICD–LSEG |
| Institutions/entities in database | 2,000+ | 2024–2025 database release | LSEG |
| Global sukuk issuance | ~US$180 billion | 2024 | World Bank |
| Green/sustainable sukuk share | ~10% of sukuk market | World Bank 2025 review | World Bank |
One of the most useful lessons in Islamic finance research is that headline market-size figures are not automatically comparable. The Islamic Financial Services Board reported US$3.88 trillion in total Islamic financial services industry assets for 2024, with 14.9% year-on-year growth. That total is lower than the US$5.98 trillion figure reported by ICD–LSEG because the organisations use different scopes and methodologies.
Source: IFSB, Islamic Financial Services Industry Stability Report 2025
| Source | 2024 evidence | What the figure is useful for |
|---|---|---|
| ICD–LSEG | US$5.98 trillion in Islamic finance assets; 21% year-on-year growth | Broad market-development view across banking, sukuk, funds, takaful and related segments |
| IFSB | US$3.88 trillion in IFSI assets; 14.9% year-on-year growth | Prudential and financial-stability analysis across regulated Islamic financial services sectors |
| S&P Global Ratings | 10.6% industry growth in 2024; sukuk outstanding passed US$1 trillion | Credit-market perspective on banking and sukuk growth, issuance conditions and risk |
S&P Global Ratings reported that total sukuk outstanding passed US$1 trillion in 2024. It also reported 2024 global sukuk issuance of about US$193.4 billion, while foreign-currency issuance rose 29% to US$72.7 billion. The comparison is useful because it separates annual issuance flow from the total stock of sukuk still outstanding.
Source: S&P Global Ratings, Islamic Finance 2025–2026
The IFSB reported that Islamic banking represented more than 70% of IFSI assets in 2024. That concentration matters. A fast-growing sukuk or takaful segment can attract attention, but the stability, profitability, liquidity and asset quality of Islamic banks still dominate the system-level picture.
Watch financing growth, asset quality, liquidity, capital and concentration risk rather than market-size headlines alone.
Sukuk market depth, benchmark issuance and investor demand determine whether capital-market financing is practically available.
Non-bank development matters because an overly bank-centred system can limit funding diversity and risk-transfer options.
The relevant question is which Sharia-compliant structures are available in the jurisdiction and whether the market infrastructure supports them.
Market statistics show the scale of Islamic finance. MATSH’s Islamic Finance and Sharia-Compliant Business Fundamentals Course focuses on the next step: how the core principles, financing structures, sukuk, takaful and governance work in practice.
We run all our courses as private programmes for organisations across the GCC and Africa.
Request In-House →