Buddhism by country

Percentage of Buddhists by country, according to the Pew Research Center.

Buddhism is a religion practiced by an estimated 488 million in the world,[1] 495 million,[2] or 535 million[3] people as of the 2010s, representing 9% to 10% of the world's total population.

China is the country with the largest population of Buddhists, approximately 244 million or 18.2% of its total population.[1] They are mostly followers of Chinese schools of Mahayana, making this the largest body of Buddhist traditions. Mahayana, also practiced in broader East Asia, is followed by over half of the world's Buddhists.[1]

The second largest body of Buddhist schools is Theravada, mostly followed in Southeast Asia.[1] The third and smallest body of schools, Vajrayana, is followed mostly in Tibet, the Himalayan region, Mongolia and parts of Russia,[1] but is disseminated throughout the world.

According to a demographic analysis reported by Peter Harvey (2013):[3]

  • Eastern Buddhism (Mahayana) has 360 million adherents;
  • Southern Buddhism (Theravada) has 150 million adherents; and
  • Northern Buddhism (Vajrayana) has 18.2 million adherents.
  • Seven million additional Buddhists are found outside Asia.

List of countries with largest Buddhist proportion

There are over 10 countries with the highest Buddhist percentage:

Buddhism by percentange as of 2010[1]
Country[4] Estimated Buddhist population % of total Buddhist in country
 Cambodia 13,701,660 96.90%
 Thailand 64,419,840 93.20%
 Myanmar 48,415,960 87.90%
 Bhutan 563,000 74.70%
 Sri Lanka 14,222,844 70.2% [5]
 Laos 4,092,000 66.00%
 Mongolia 1,520,760 55.1%
 Japan 45,820,000 36.2%
 Taiwan 8,000,000 35%[6]
 Singapore 1,725,510 33.90%
 South Korea 11,050,000 22%
 Malaysia 5,620,483 19.8% [7]
 China 244,130,000 18.2%
 Vietnam 14,380,000 16.4%

By country

Population country
Country/Territory Population (2013)[8] % Buddhist: 1. Pew, 2. ARDA. Number of Buddhists
Afghanistan Afghanistan 24,108,077 < 0.1%[1]
Algeria Algeria 38,087,812 < 0.1%[1]
 American Samoa 26,719 0.3%[1]
Angola Angola 25,789,024 < 0.1%[1]
Argentina Argentina 42,610,981 < 0.1%[1]
 Aruba 109,153 0.1%[1]
Australia Australia 22,262,501 2.7%[1] 528,977
Austria Austria 8,629,519 0.2%[1]
 Bahamas 319,031 < 0.1%[1]
Bahrain Bahrain 1,281,332 2.5%[1]
Bangladesh Bangladesh 159,654,860 0.5%[1]
 Barbados 288,725 < 0.1%[1]
 Belarus 9,625,888 < 0.1%[1]
Belgium Belgium 10,444,268 0.2%[1]
Belize Belize 324,528 0.5%[1]
 Bermuda 69,467 0.5%[1]
Bhutan Bhutan 725,296 74.7%[1] 563,000[1]
 Bolivia 10,461,053 < 0.1%[1]
Botswana Botswana 2,127,825 < 0.1%[1]
Brazil Brazil 201,009,622 0.1%[1]
Brunei Brunei 415,717 8.6%[1]
Bulgaria Bulgaria 6,981,642 < 0.1%[1]
Burkina Faso Burkina Faso 17,812,961 < 0.1%[1]
Myanmar Burma (Myanmar) 55,167,330 87.9%[1] 48,415,960[1]
Cambodia Cambodia 15,205,539 96.9%[1] 13,701,660[1]
Cameroon Cameroon 20,549,221 < 0.1%[1]
Canada Canada 34,568,211 0.8%[1] 366,830[9]
Chad Chad 11,193,452 < 0.1%[1]
 Chile 17,216,945 < 0.1%[1]
China China 1,349,585,838 18.2%[1] 244,130,000[1]
 Christmas Island 1,513 < 0.1%[1]
 Colombia 45,745,783 < 0.1%[1]
Democratic Republic of the Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo 75,507,308 < 0.1%[1]
Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo 4,492,689 < 0.1%[1]
Costa Rica Costa Rica 4,695,942 < 0.1%[1]
Ivory Coast Côte d'Ivoire 22,400,835 < 0.1%[1]
Croatia Croatia 4,475,611 < 0.1%[1]
 Cuba 11,394,043 < 0.1%[1]
 Curaçao 146,836
 Cyprus 1,155,403 0.2%[1]
Czech Republic Czech Republic 10,162,921 < 0.1%[1]
Denmark Denmark 5,556,452 0.2%[1]
 Dominica 73,286 0.1%[1]
 Dominican Republic 10,219,630 < 0.1%[1]
 East Timor 1,172,390
 Ecuador 15,439,429 < 0.1%[1]
Egypt Egypt 85,294,388 < 0.1%[1]
El Salvador El Salvador 6,108,590 < 0.1%[1]
 Estonia 1,266,375 < 0.1%[1]
Ethiopia Ethiopia 93,877,025 < 0.1%[1]
Falkland Islands Falkland Islands 3,140 < 0.1%[1]
 Federated States of Micronesia 106,104 0.4%[1]
 Fiji 896,758 < 0.1%[1]
Finland Finland 5,266,114 < 0.1%[1] 5,000
France France 65,951,611 0.5%[1]
 French Guiana 239,450 < 0.1%[1]
 French Polynesia 277,293 < 0.1%[1]
Germany Germany 81,147,265 0.3%[1]
Ghana Ghana 22,931,299 < 0.1%[1]
Greece Greece 10,772,967 < 0.1%[1]
 Guam 160,378 1.1%[1]
14,373,472 < 0.1%[1]
Guinea Guinea 11,176,026 < 0.1%[1]
 Guyana 739,903 < 0.1%[1]
 Haiti 9,893,934 < 0.1%[1]
Honduras Honduras 8,448,465 0.1%[1]
Hong Kong Hong Kong 7,182,724 13.2%[1]
Hungary Hungary 9,939,470 < 0.1%[1]
Iceland Iceland 315,281 0.4%[1]
India India 1,326,987,437 0.8%[1] 9,250,000
Indonesia Indonesia 251,160,124
Iran Iran 79,853,900 < 0.1%[1]
Iraq Iraq 31,858,481 < 0.1%[1]
 Ireland 4,775,982
Israel Israel 7,707,042 0.2%[1]
Italy Italy 61,482,297 0.2%[1]
 Jamaica 2,909,714 < 0.1%[1]
Japan Japan 127,253,075 36.2%[1] 45,820,000[1]
Jordan Jordan 6,482,081 0.4%[1]
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan 17,736,896 0.2%[1]
Kenya Kenya 44,037,656 < 0.1%[1]
North Korea North Korea 24,720,407 1.5%[1]
South Korea South Korea 48,955,203 22.9%[1] 11,050,000
Kuwait Kuwait 2,695,316 2.8%[1]
Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan 5,548,042 < 0.1%[1]
Laos Laos 6,695,166 66.1%[1] 4,092,000
 Latvia 2,178,443 < 0.1%[1]
Lebanon Lebanon 4,131,583 0.2%[1]
Lesotho Lesotho 1,936,181 < 0.1%[1]
Liberia Liberia 3,989,703 < 0.1%[1]
Libya Libya 6,002,347 0.3%[1]
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein 37,009 < 0.1%[1]
 Lithuania 3,515,858 < 0.1%[1]
 Luxembourg 514,862 < 0.1%[1]
Macau Macau 583,003 17.3%[1]
 Macedonia 2,087,171 < 0.1%[1]
Madagascar Madagascar 22,599,098 < 0.1%[1]
Malawi Malawi 16,777,547 < 0.1%[1]
Malaysia Malaysia 31,112,021 19.8 %[1] 5,620,483
Maldives Maldives 393,988 0.6%[1]
Mali Mali 15,968,882 < 0.1%[1]
 Malta 411,277 < 0.1%[1]
 Martinique 403,795 < 0.1%[1]
Mauritius Mauritius 1,322,238 < 0.1%[1]
Mexico Mexico 116,220,947 < 0.1%[1]
Mongolia Mongolia 3,226,516 55.1%[1] 1,520,760
 Montenegro 653,474 < 0.1%[1]
Morocco Morocco 32,649,130 < 0.1%[1]
Mozambique Mozambique 24,096,669 < 0.1%[1]
Namibia Namibia 2,182,852 < 0.1%[1]
 Nauru 9,434 1.1%[1]
Nepal Nepal 30,430,267 10.3%[1]
Netherlands Netherlands 16,805,037 0.2%[1]
 New Caledonia 264,022 0.6%[1]
 New Zealand 4,365,113 1.6%[1]
Nicaragua Nicaragua 5,788,531 < 0.1%[1]
Nigeria Nigeria 174,507,539 < 0.1%[1]
 Northern Mariana Islands 51,170 10.6%[1]
Norway Norway 4,722,701 0.6%[1]
Oman Oman 3,154,134 0.8%[1]
Pakistan Pakistan 193,238,868 < 0.1%[1]
 Palau 21,108 0.8%[1]
State of Palestine Palestine 4,293,313 < 0.1%[1]
Panama Panama 3,559,408 0.2%[1]
 Papua New Guinea 6,431,902 < 0.1%[1]
 Paraguay 6,623,252 < 0.1%[1]
 Peru 29,849,303 0.2%[1]
Philippines Philippines 98,215,000 < 0.1%[1][10] 46,558[11][12][13]
Poland Poland 38,383,809 < 0.1%[1]
 Portugal 10,799,270 0.6%[1]
 Puerto Rico 3,674,209 0.3%[1]
Qatar Qatar 2,042,444 3.1%[1]
Réunion Réunion 839,500 0.2%[1]
 Romania 21,790,479 < 0.1%[1]
Russia Russia 144,526,000 1.0%[14] 1,445,260
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia 26,939,583
Senegal Senegal 12,521,851 0.3%[1]
 Serbia 7,450,265 < 0.1%[1]
Seychelles Seychelles 90,846 < 0.1%[1]
Sierra Leone Sierra Leone 5,612,685
Singapore Singapore 5,460,302 33.9%[1]
Slovakia Slovakia 5,488,339 < 0.1%[1]
Slovenia Slovenia 1,992,690 < 0.1%[1]
 Solomon Islands 597,248 0.3%[1]
South Africa South Africa 48,601,098 0.2%[1]
 Spain 47,370,542 < 0.1%[1]
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 21,675,648 69.3%[1] 14,222,844
Sudan Sudan 34,847,910 < 0.1%[1]
 Suriname 566,846 0.6%[1]
Swaziland Swaziland 1,403,362 < 0.1%[1]
Sweden Sweden 9,119,423 0.4%[1]
Switzerland Switzerland 7,996,026 0.4%[1]
Taiwan Taiwan 23,299,716 21.3%[1]
Tajikistan Tajikistan 7,910,041 < 0.1%[1]
Tanzania Tanzania 48,261,942 < 0.1%[1]
Thailand Thailand 67,448,120 93.2%[1] 64,420,000
Togo Togo 7,154,237 < 0.1%[1]
 Tonga 106,322
Tunisia Tunisia 10,835,873 < 0.1%[1]
 Trinidad and Tobago 1,225,225 0.3%[1]
Turkey Turkey 80,694,485 < 0.1%[1]
Turkmenistan Turkmenistan 5,113,040 < 0.1%[1]
 Tuvalu 10,698 < 0.1%[1]
Uganda Uganda 34,758,809 < 0.1%[1]
Ukraine Ukraine 44,573,205 < 0.1%[1]
United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates 5,473,972 2%[1]
United Kingdom United Kingdom 63,395,574 0.4%[1]
United States United States 316,668,567 1.2%[1] 1,200,000[15]
 Uruguay 3,324,460 < 0.1%[1]
United States Virgin Islands US Virgin Islands 104,737 < 0.1%[1]
Uzbekistan Uzbekistan 28,661,637 < 0.1%[1]
 Vanuatu 261,565 < 0.1%[1]
Venezuela Venezuela 28,459,085 < 0.1%[1]
Vietnam Vietnam 92,477,857 16.4%[1] 14,380,000
Yemen Yemen 25,408,288 < 0.1%[1]
Zambia Zambia 14,222,233 < 0.1%[1]
Zimbabwe Zimbabwe 13,182,908 < 0.1%[1]
TOTAL 7,095,217,980 Pew: 7.1%[1] Pew: 487,540,000[1]

By region

Buddhism by region in 2010[1]
Region Estimated total population Estimated Buddhist population %
Asia-Pacific 4,054,990,000 481,290,000 11.9%
North America 344,530,000 3,860,000 1.1%
Europe 742,550,000 1,330,000 0.2%
Middle East-North Africa 341,020,000 500,000 0.1%
Latin America-Caribbean 590,080,000 410,000 <0.1%
Total 6,895,890,000 487,540,000 7.1%

Ten countries with the largest Buddhist populations

Countries with the largest Buddhist populations as of 2010[1]
Country Estimated Buddhist population % of the total population of the country % of world Buddhist population
China 244,130,000 18.2% 46.4%
Thailand 64,420,000 93.2% 12.2%
Japan[16][1] 45,820,000 36.2% 9.4%
Myanmar 38,410,000 87.90% 7.3%
Sri Lanka 14,450,000 69.3% 2.8%
Vietnam 14,380,000 16.4% 2.7%
Cambodia 13,690,000 96.9% 2.9%
South Korea 11,050,000 22.9% 2.1%
India 9,250,000 0.8% 1.8%
Malaysia 5,010,000 19.8% 1%
Subtotal for the ten countries 499,465,520 18.1% 94.9%
Subtotal for the rest of the world 26,920,000 0.7% 5.1%
World total 526,373,000 7.3% 100%

note : Exact number of followers when calculating Buddhists varies because Buddhism is often mixed with the native East Asian religions in their respective countries for example in Japan the number of Buddhists when calculating including the Shintoists would ramp the percentage of Buddhists in Japan from 67% to >98%.

See also

Other religions:

General:

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 [[Pew Research Center2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-buddhist/ Global Religious Landscape: Buddhists].
  2. ↑ Johnson, Todd M.; Grim, Brian J. (2013). The World's Religions in Figures: An Introduction to International Religious Demography (PDF). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 34–37. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  3. 1 2 Harvey, Peter (2013). An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices (2nd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 5. ISBN 9780521676748. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  4. ↑ Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life (December 2012), The Global Religious Landscape: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Major Religious Groups as of 2010 (PDF), Pew Research Center, retrieved 9 October 2013
  5. ↑ Department of Census and Statistics,The Census of Population and Housing of Sri Lanka-2011
  6. ↑
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ CIA's The World Factbook: Populations as of July 2013
  9. ↑ https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/91-003-x/2014001/section03/33-eng.htm
  10. ↑ http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/philippines/religious_demography#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2010
  11. ↑ https://psa.gov.ph/sites/default/files/2015%20PSY%20PDF.pdf
  12. ↑ "Buddhism in Philippines, Guide to Philippines Buddhism, Introduction to Philippines Buddhism, Philippines Buddhism Travel".
  13. ↑ http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/philippines/religious_demography#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2010
  14. ↑ http://paganka.blog/2017/06/21/statistika-religij-v-rf
  15. ↑ Rowe, Peter (16 April 2012). "Dalai Lama facts and figures". U-T San Diego. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  16. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 9 June 2015. Retrieved 2015-08-06.
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