The wizarding world, also referred to as the magical community, is the society in which wizards and witches live and interact separate from Muggle (non-wizarding) society in Harry Potter. The two communities are kept separate through the use of charms, spells, and secrecy. Wizards are forbidden to reveal anything about magic to Muggle society due to the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. Each country has a form of wizarding government to oversee magical affairs in their territory, such as a Ministry of Magic or a Council of Magic. The International Confederation of Wizards serves as a wizarding intergovernmental organisation.

Magic is honed through study, training and formal schooling, but cannot be simply learnt by Muggles. Non-magic skills, such as picking a lock with a hairpin rather than an Unlocking Charm, are uncommon to the point of novel rarity. Magic is used for mostly everything, including cooking, cleaning, travelling, communicating, child rearing and medical treatment. Although on the surface, magic appears morally neutral, the benevolence or malevolence of a spell's nature is tied to the intention behind it. For instance, the Cruciatus Curse cannot effectively torture a victim with pain unless the caster desires to do true harm to the victim. The technology of the wizarding world appears Medieval in character (such as Hogwarts not having any lifts, but instead having only stairs), as the use of magic precludes the need for advanced technology (as well as the fact that magic interferes with electrical equipment).