Buddhism by country
![](/w/images/thumb/9/91/Buddhism_percent_population_in_each_nation_World_Map_Buddhist_data_by_Pew_Research.svg/300px-Buddhism_percent_population_in_each_nation_World_Map_Buddhist_data_by_Pew_Research.svg.png)
Buddhism in the world is practiced by an estimated 488 million,[1] 495 million,[2] or 535 million[3] people as of the 2010s, representing 7% to 8% 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.
Contents
List of countries with largest Buddhist majority
There are 10 countries with the highest Buddhist percentage:
Country[4] | Estimated Buddhist population | % of total Buddhist in country |
---|---|---|
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13,701,660 | 96.90 % |
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64,419,840 | 93.20 % |
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38,415,960 | 80.10 % |
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563,000 | 74.70 % |
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14,455,980 | 69.30 % |
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4,092,000 | 66.00 % |
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1,520,760 | 55.10 % |
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84,653,000 or 45,807,480 | 67% or 36.2%[5] |
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1,725,510 | 33.90 % |
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8,000,000 or 4,945,600 | 35% or 21.1%[6] |
By country
Country/Territory | Population (2013)[7] | % Buddhist: 1. Pew, 2. ARDA. | Number of Buddhists |
---|---|---|---|
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24,108,077 | ||
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38,087,812 | ||
![]() |
26,719 | ||
![]() |
18,565,269 | ||
![]() |
42,610,981 | ||
![]() |
109,153 | ||
![]() |
22,262,501 | ||
![]() |
221,646 | ||
![]() |
319,031 | ||
![]() |
1,281,332 | ||
![]() |
159,654,860 | ||
![]() |
288,725 | ||
![]() |
9,625,888 | ||
![]() |
10,444,268 | ||
![]() |
297 | ||
![]() |
69,467 | ||
![]() |
725,296 | ||
![]() |
10,461,053 | ||
![]() |
2,127,825 | ||
![]() |
201,009,622 | ||
![]() |
415,717 | ||
![]() |
6,981,642 | ||
![]() |
17,812,961 | ||
![]() |
55,167,330 | ||
![]() |
15,205,539 | ||
![]() |
20,549,221 | ||
![]() |
34,568,211 | ||
![]() |
11,193,452 | ||
![]() |
17,216,945 | ||
![]() |
1,349,585,838 | ||
![]() |
1,513 | ||
![]() |
45,745,783 | ||
![]() |
75,507,308 | ||
![]() |
4,492,689 | ||
![]() |
4,695,942 | ||
![]() |
22,400,835 | ||
![]() |
4,475,611 | ||
![]() |
11,394,043 | ||
![]() |
146,836 | ||
![]() |
1,155,403 | ||
![]() |
10,162,921 | ||
![]() |
5,556,452 | ||
![]() |
73,286 | ||
![]() |
10,219,630 | ||
![]() |
1,172,390 | ||
![]() |
15,439,429 | ||
![]() |
85,294,388 | ||
![]() |
6,108,590 | ||
![]() |
1,266,375 | ||
![]() |
93,877,025 | ||
![]() |
3,140 | ||
![]() |
106,104 | ||
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896,758 | ||
![]() |
5,266,114 | ||
![]() |
65,951,611 | ||
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239,450 | ||
![]() |
277,293 | ||
![]() |
81,147,265 | ||
![]() |
22,931,299 | ||
![]() |
10,772,967 | ||
![]() |
160,378 | ||
![]() |
14,373,472 | ||
![]() |
11,176,026 | ||
![]() |
739,903 | ||
![]() |
9,893,934 | ||
![]() |
8,448,465 | ||
![]() |
7,182,724 | ||
![]() |
9,939,470 | ||
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315,281 | ||
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1,220,800,359 | ||
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251,160,124 | ||
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79,853,900 | ||
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31,858,481 | ||
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4,775,982 | ||
![]() |
7,707,042 | ||
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61,482,297 | ||
![]() |
2,909,714 | ||
![]() |
127,253,075 | ||
![]() |
6,482,081 | ||
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17,736,896 | ||
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44,037,656 | ||
![]() |
24,720,407 | ||
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48,955,203 | ||
![]() |
2,695,316 | ||
![]() |
5,548,042 | ||
![]() |
6,695,166 | ||
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2,178,443 | ||
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4,131,583 | ||
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1,936,181 | ||
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3,989,703 | ||
![]() |
6,002,347 | ||
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37,009 | ||
![]() |
3,515,858 | ||
![]() |
514,862 | ||
![]() |
583,003 | ||
![]() |
2,087,171 | ||
![]() |
22,599,098 | ||
![]() |
16,777,547 | ||
![]() |
29,628,392 | ||
![]() |
393,988 | ||
![]() |
15,968,882 | ||
![]() |
411,277 | ||
![]() |
403,795 | ||
![]() |
1,322,238 | ||
![]() |
116,220,947 | ||
![]() |
3,226,516 | ||
![]() |
653,474 | ||
![]() |
32,649,130 | ||
![]() |
24,096,669 | ||
![]() |
2,182,852 | ||
![]() |
9,434 | ||
![]() |
30,430,267 | ||
![]() |
16,805,037 | ||
![]() |
264,022 | ||
![]() |
4,365,113 | ||
![]() |
5,788,531 | ||
![]() |
174,507,539 | ||
![]() |
51,170 | ||
![]() |
4,722,701 | ||
![]() |
3,154,134 | ||
![]() |
193,238,868 | ||
![]() |
21,108 | ||
![]() |
4,293,313 | ||
![]() |
3,559,408 | ||
![]() |
6,431,902 | ||
![]() |
6,623,252 | ||
![]() |
29,849,303 | ||
![]() |
98,215,000 | 1,964,300[8] | |
![]() |
38,383,809 | ||
![]() |
10,799,270 | ||
![]() |
3,674,209 | ||
![]() |
2,042,444 | ||
![]() |
839,500 | ||
![]() |
21,790,479 | ||
![]() |
142,500,482 | ||
![]() |
26,939,583 | ||
![]() |
12,521,851 | ||
![]() |
10,150,265 | ||
![]() |
90,846 | ||
![]() |
5,612,685 | ||
![]() |
5,460,302 | ||
![]() |
5,488,339 | ||
![]() |
1,992,690 | ||
![]() |
597,248 | ||
![]() |
48,601,098 | ||
![]() |
47,370,542 | ||
![]() |
21,675,648 | ||
![]() |
34,847,910 | ||
![]() |
566,846 | ||
![]() |
1,403,362 | ||
![]() |
9,119,423 | ||
![]() |
7,996,026 | ||
![]() |
23,299,716 | ||
![]() |
7,910,041 | ||
![]() |
48,261,942 | ||
![]() |
67,448,120 | ||
![]() |
7,154,237 | ||
![]() |
106,322 | ||
![]() |
10,835,873 | ||
![]() |
1,225,225 | ||
![]() |
80,694,485 | ||
![]() |
5,113,040 | ||
![]() |
10,698 | ||
![]() |
34,758,809 | ||
![]() |
44,573,205 | ||
![]() |
5,473,972 | ||
![]() |
63,395,574 | ||
![]() |
316,668,567 | ||
![]() |
3,324,460 | ||
![]() |
104,737 | ||
![]() |
28,661,637 | ||
![]() |
261,565 | ||
![]() |
28,459,085 | ||
![]() |
92,477,857 | ||
![]() |
25,408,288 | ||
![]() |
14,222,233 | ||
![]() |
13,182,908 | ||
TOTAL | 7,095,217,980 | Pew: 7.1% | Pew: 487,540,000 |
By region
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
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[9] | 45,820,000[1] | 36.2%[1] | 9.4% |
Myanmar | 38,410,000 | 80.1% | 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 | 17.7% | 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:
- Hinduism by country
- Islam by country
- Judaism by country
- Christianity by country
- Sikhism by country
- Bahá'í statistics
General:
External links
- The US State Department's International Religious Freedom Report 2010
- CIA FactBook
- adherents.com
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Buddhism by country. |
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Pew Research Center, Global Religious Landscape: Buddhists.
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- ↑ [1]
- ↑ [2]
- ↑ CIA's The World Factbook: Populations as of July 2013
- ↑ http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/philippines/religious_demography#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2010
- ↑ [3]