Buddhism by country

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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 world 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 has been 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[edit | edit source]

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%
Template:Country data Bhutan 563,000 74.70%
 Sri Lanka 14,222,844 70.2% [5]
Template:Country data Laos 4,092,000 66.00%
Template:Country data 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[edit | edit source]

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]
Template:Country data American Samoa 26,719 0.3%[1]
Angola Angola 25,789,024 < 0.1%[1]
Argentina Argentina 42,610,981 < 0.1%[1]
Template:Country data Aruba 109,153 0.1%[1]
Australia Australia 22,262,501 2.7%[1] 528,977
Austria Austria 8,629,519 0.2%[1]
Template:Country data Bahamas 319,031 < 0.1%[1]
Bahrain Bahrain 1,281,332 2.5%[1]
Bangladesh Bangladesh 159,654,860 0.5%[1]
Template:Country data Barbados 288,725 < 0.1%[1]
 Belarus 9,625,888 < 0.1%[1]
Belgium Belgium 10,444,268 0.2%[1]
Template:Country data Belize Belize 324,528 0.5%[1]
Template:Country data Bermuda 69,467 0.5%[1]
Template:Country data Bhutan Bhutan 725,296 74.7%[1] 563,000[1]
 Bolivia 10,461,053 < 0.1%[1]
Template:Country data 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]
Template:Country data 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]
Template:Country data Cameroon Cameroon 20,549,221 < 0.1%[1]
Canada Canada 34,568,211 0.8%[1]
Template:Country data 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]
Template:Country data DRC 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]
Template:Country data Cote d'Ivoire Côte d'Ivoire 22,400,835 < 0.1%[1]
Croatia Croatia 4,475,611 < 0.1%[1]
Template:Country data 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]
Template:Country data Falkland Islands Falkland Islands 3,140 < 0.1%[1]
Template:Country data Federated States of Micronesia 106,104 0.4%[1]
Template:Country data Fiji 896,758 < 0.1%[1]
Finland Finland 5,266,114 < 0.1%[1]
France France 65,951,611 0.5%[1]
Template:Country data French Guiana 239,450 < 0.1%[1]
Template:Country data 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]
Guatemala Guatemala 14,373,472 < 0.1%[1]
Template:Country data Guinea Guinea 11,176,026 < 0.1%[1]
Template:Country data 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]
Template:Country data 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]
Template:Country data Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan 5,548,042 < 0.1%[1]
Template:Country data Laos Laos 6,695,166 66.1%[1] 4,092,000
 Latvia 2,178,443 < 0.1%[1]
Template:Country data Lebanon Lebanon 4,131,583 0.2%[1]
Template:Country data Lesotho Lesotho 1,936,181 < 0.1%[1]
Template:Country data 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]
Template:Country data Macau Macau 583,003 17.3%[1]
 Macedonia 2,087,171 < 0.1%[1]
Madagascar Madagascar 22,599,098 < 0.1%[1]
Template:Country data 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]
Template:Country data Mali Mali 15,968,882 < 0.1%[1]
Template:Country data Malta 411,277 < 0.1%[1]
Template:Country data Martinique 403,795 < 0.1%[1]
Template:Country data Mauritius Mauritius 1,322,238 < 0.1%[1]
Mexico Mexico 116,220,947 < 0.1%[1]
Template:Country data 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]
Template:Country data Mozambique Mozambique 24,096,669 < 0.1%[1]
Namibia Namibia 2,182,852 < 0.1%[1]
Template:Country data Nauru 9,434 1.1%[1]
Nepal Nepal 30,430,267 10.3%[1]
Netherlands Netherlands 16,805,037 0.2%[1]
Template:Country data 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]
Template:Country data Panama Panama 3,559,408 0.2%[1]
 Papua New Guinea 6,431,902 < 0.1%[1]
Template:Country data Paraguay 6,623,252 < 0.1%[1]
 Peru 29,849,303 0.2%[1]
Philippines Philippines 98,215,000 2% 1,964,300[9]
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]
Template:Country data Réunion Réunion 839,500 0.2%[1]
 Romania 21,790,479 < 0.1%[1]
Russia Russia 142,500,482 0.1%[1]
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia 26,939,583
Senegal Senegal 12,521,851 0.3%[1]
 Serbia

10,150,265 < 0.1%[1]
Template:Country data Seychelles Seychelles 90,846 < 0.1%[1]
Template:Country data 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]
Template:Country data 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]
Template:Country data Suriname 566,846 0.6%[1]
Template:Country data 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]
Template:Country data Tajikistan Tajikistan 7,910,041 < 0.1%[1]
Template:Country data Tanzania Tanzania 48,261,942 < 0.1%[1]
Thailand Thailand 67,448,120 93.2%[1] 64,420,000
Template:Country data Togo Togo 7,154,237 < 0.1%[1]
Template:Country data Tonga 106,322
Tunisia Tunisia 10,835,873 < 0.1%[1]
Template:Country data Trinidad and Tobago 1,225,225 0.3%[1]
Turkey Turkey 80,694,485 < 0.1%[1]
Template:Country data 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] 3,800,023
Template:Country data Uruguay 3,324,460 < 0.1%[1]
Template:Country data VIR US Virgin Islands 104,737 < 0.1%[1]
Uzbekistan Uzbekistan 28,661,637 < 0.1%[1]
Template:Country data 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]
Template:Country data 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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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[10][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[edit | edit source]

Other religions:

General:

External links[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.000 1.001 1.002 1.003 1.004 1.005 1.006 1.007 1.008 1.009 1.010 1.011 1.012 1.013 1.014 1.015 1.016 1.017 1.018 1.019 1.020 1.021 1.022 1.023 1.024 1.025 1.026 1.027 1.028 1.029 1.030 1.031 1.032 1.033 1.034 1.035 1.036 1.037 1.038 1.039 1.040 1.041 1.042 1.043 1.044 1.045 1.046 1.047 1.048 1.049 1.050 1.051 1.052 1.053 1.054 1.055 1.056 1.057 1.058 1.059 1.060 1.061 1.062 1.063 1.064 1.065 1.066 1.067 1.068 1.069 1.070 1.071 1.072 1.073 1.074 1.075 1.076 1.077 1.078 1.079 1.080 1.081 1.082 1.083 1.084 1.085 1.086 1.087 1.088 1.089 1.090 1.091 1.092 1.093 1.094 1.095 1.096 1.097 1.098 1.099 1.100 1.101 1.102 1.103 1.104 1.105 1.106 1.107 1.108 1.109 1.110 1.111 1.112 1.113 1.114 1.115 1.116 1.117 1.118 1.119 1.120 1.121 1.122 1.123 1.124 1.125 1.126 1.127 1.128 1.129 1.130 1.131 1.132 1.133 1.134 1.135 1.136 1.137 1.138 1.139 1.140 1.141 1.142 1.143 1.144 1.145 1.146 1.147 1.148 1.149 1.150 1.151 1.152 1.153 1.154 1.155 1.156 1.157 1.158 1.159 1.160 1.161 1.162 1.163 1.164 1.165 1.166 1.167 1.168 1.169 1.170 1.171 1.172 1.173 1.174 1.175 1.176 1.177 1.178 1.179 1.180 1.181 1.182 1.183 1.184 Pew Research Center, Global Religious Landscape: Buddhists.
  2. ↑ Johnson, Todd M.; Grim, Brian J. (2013). The World's Religions in Figures: An Introduction to International Religious Demography. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 34–37. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131020100448/http://media.johnwiley.com.au/product_data/excerpt/47/04706745/0470674547-196.pdf. Retrieved 2 September 2013. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Harvey, Peter (2013). An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices (2nd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 5. ISBN 9780521676748. https://books.google.com/books?id=u0sg9LV_rEgC&lpg=PP1&dq=buddhism%20introduction&pg=PA5#v=onepage&q&f=false. 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. ↑ [1]
  7. ↑ [2]
  8. ↑ CIA's The World Factbook: Populations as of July 2013
  9. ↑ http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/philippines/religious_demography#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2010
  10. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 9 June 2015. Retrieved 2015-08-06. 

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