State Administration for Religious Affairs
The State Administration for Religious Affairs places the number of Muslims in China at approximately 21 million, while independent estimates suggest that the number could be upwards of 50 million or more. According to a 2000 census, 96 percent of 20.3 million reported Muslims belong to three ethnic groups: Hui, Uyghur, and Kazakh. Most Hui Muslims live in Ningxia, Qinghai, and Gansu provinces, while Uyghur Muslims are predominantly found in Xinjiang.