Buddhism by country.html



The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page. (March 2008)

Percentage of cultural/nominal Buddhists with its united religions (according to the highest estimates).

Percentage of formal/practicing Buddhists by the numbers of registered adherents (according to the least estimates).

Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism are one, a painting in the litang style portraying three men laughing by a river stream, 12th century, Song Dynasty.

Obtaining exact numbers of practicing Buddhists can be difficult and may be reliant on the definition used. Adherents of Eastern religions such as Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shinto and traditional religions or Shamanism, animism often have beliefs comprised of a mix of religious ideas^1234567. While only a small proportion of the population may have taken the formal step of going for refuge (about 400 million), many more may practice an informal Buddhism or hold Buddhist beliefs mixed with those of related religions. This is particularly the case in East Asia, where Buddhism has long been practiced alongside Taoism and Confucianism in an arrangement sometimes known as the "Triple Religion" or "Great Religion" ⁸. The Religion in China, Vietnam, Japan, Korea; Vinegar tasters; Sinosphere; Neo-Confucianism; East Asian Buddhism and Buddhism and Eastern teaching articles discuss this phenomenon in greater detail.

The estimations on the number of Buddhist in the world vary significantly, according to different sources available ⁹, between over 1.5 billion ^10111213 and over 350 million ¹⁴. However, it was difficult to estimate accurately the number of Buddhists because they did not have congregational memberships and often did not participate in public ceremonies. ¹⁵

An additional challenge in gathering accurate estimates regarding Buddhist adherents in many Asian countries is the presence of national governments (often Communist) that are hostile either to religion generally or to Buddhism specifically. Government policies in these countries may encourage the under-reporting or non-reporting of religious adherence, resulting in official totals that may drastically under-estimate the number of religious practitioners in these countries. This phenomenon is a confounding factor in gathering data for countries such as China and North Korea. Similar historical policies, coupled with shortcomings of infrastructure, make census data for Laos and Vietnam difficult to assess¹⁶¹⁷¹⁸.

Most of the Buddhists live in Asia, and the provisional state of the numbers in governments who evolve from the Communism forces a constant revision, although each new annual revision shows an increase the very significant discharge of the Buddhism. The main reason for this enormous discrepancy in the present numbers is the combination of three types different from difficulties to give to a Chinese number on , the greatest country of population in World recently. The Buddhism has a very important historical root in those countries, nevertheless is officially an atheist country, in which in addition it practices syncretist a very heterogeneous traditional religion popular and that, among others, it includes Buddhist elements, and that frequently are listed separately.

A recent study of the Global for Center the Study of the Chinese Contemporary made in the 2005 ¹⁹ reveals the little reliability of the previous data, simultaneously it says 52% of the Chinese still refuse to answer direct questions on their religious affiliation. Taking this in account, in 1995 only a 2% openly admitted to belong to some religion, in the 2005 5% did. Although on the other hand, 23% of Chinese to have trusted in Buddha during year. All this contradictory data gives an idea that it will be the own evolution in the opening in the Chinese society the one that will be polishing these numbers.

By country

Buddhism by country

Region	Country or Territory	Population(2007E)	% of Buddhists	Buddhist total
Central Asia	Afghanistan	31,889,923	0.2%20	63,780
South America	Argentina	40,301,927	0.1% 21	40,302
Caribbean	Aruba	100,018	1.2% (approx) 22	1,200
Oceania	Australia	20,434,176	2.1% 23	429,118
Central Europe	Austria	8,199,783	0.130%	10,660
Middle East	Bahrain	708,573	1% 24	7,086
South Asia	Bangladesh	150,448,339	0.7% 25	1,053,138
Western Europe	Belgium	10,392,226	0.3% 26	31,177
Central America	Belize	294,385	0.35% 27	1,030
South Asia	Bhutan	2,327,849	66% - 75%28 - 97% (approx)29	1,536,380 - 1,745,887 - 2,250,014
South America	Bolivia	9,119,152	0.26% 30	23,710
Balkans	Bosnia and Herzegovina	4,552,198	0.01%	455
South America	Brazil	190,010,647	0.130% 31	247,014
Southeast Asia	Brunei	374,577	14.4% 32	53,939
Eastern Europe	Bulgaria	7,322,858	0.015% (approx)	1,098
Southeast Asia	Burma	47,373,958	90% 33	42,636,562
Southeast Asia	Cambodia	13,995,904	95% 34	13,296,109
North America	Canada	33,390,141	3.6% 35	367,292 - 1,202,045
South America	Chile	16,284,741	0.04% 3637	6,514
East Asia	China	1,321,851,888	8% 38 - 21% 3940 - 80% (approx)4142 1343	105,748,151 - 277,588,896 - 1,057,481,510
South America	Colombia	44,379,598	0.01% 44	4,438
Central America	Costa Rica	4,133,884	2.34% 45	96,733
West Africa	Cote d'Ivoire	18,013,409	0.06% 46	10,808
Balkans	Croatia	4,493,312	0.03%	1,348
Caribbean	Cuba	11,394,043	0.25% 47	28,485
Middle East	Cyprus	788,457	1%	7,885
Central Europe	Czech Republic	10,228,744	0.5%	51,144
Western Europe	Denmark	5,468,120	0.1% 48	5,468
Caribbean	Dominica	72,386	0.25% 49	181
Caribbean	Dominican Republic	9,365,818	0.1% 50	9,366
Southeast Asia	East Timor	1,084,971	0.1% (approx) 51	1,085
South America	Ecuador	13,755,680	0.2% 52	27,511
South America	El Salvador	6,948,073	0.03% 53	2,084
East Africa	Eritrea	4,906,585	0.1% 54	4,907
Eastern Europe	Estonia	1,315,912	0.4% 55	5,264
Oceania	Fiji	918,675	1%	9,187
Western Europe	Finland	5,238,460	0.1% 56	5,238
Western Europe	France	63,718,187	1.2%	764,618
South America	French Guiana	203,321	4% 57	8,132
Oceania	French Polynesia	278,963	7.5%	20,922
Caucasus	Georgia	4,646,003	0.1% (approx)58	4,646
Western Europe	Germany	82,400,996	1%	824,001
West Africa	Ghana	22,931,299	0.05% 59	11,466
Balkans	Greece	10,706,290	0.1% (approx)	10,706
Central America	Guatemala	12,728,111	0.1% 60	12,728
West Africa	Guinea	9,947,814	0.1% (approx) 61	9,948
South America	Guyana	769,095	0.25% 62	1,923
Central America	Honduras	7,483,763	0.1% 63	7,484
East Asia	Hong Kong	6,980,412	10.1%64 - 90% 65	705,022 - 6,282,371
Eastern Europe	Hungary	9,956,108	0.05%	5,223 66
Western Europe	Iceland	301,931	0.15% 67	453
South Asia	India	1,129,866,154	0.8%68	9,038,929 - 16,947,992
Southeast Asia	Indonesia	234,693,997	1%69	2,346,940
Western Europe	Ireland	4,109,086	0.2% 70	8,218
Middle East	Israel	6,426,679	0.1% 71	6,426
Western Europe	Italy	58,147,733	0.2% 72 7374	116,295
Caribbean	Jamaica	2,780,132	0.3% 75	8,340
East Asia	Japan	127,433,494	44% - 84% - 96% 767778	56,070,737 - 107,044,135 - 122,336,154
Central Asia	Kazakhstan	15,284,929	0.55% 79	84,067
East Asia	North Korea	23,301,725	64.5% (approx)80 8182	10,00083 - 15,029,613
East Asia	South Korea	49,044,790	23.3%84 - 50% 85868788	11,427,436 - 24,522,395
Central Asia	Kyrgyzstan	5,284,149	0.35% 89	18,495
Middle East	Kuwait	2,505,559	4% 90	100,222
Southeast Asia	Laos	6,521,998	96%91	6,261,118
Eastern Europe	Latvia	2,259,810	0.004% 92	90
Middle East	Lebanon	3,925,502	0.1% 93	3,926
Southern Africa	Lesotho	2,125,262	0.1% (approx)94	2,125
West Africa	Liberia	3,195,931	0.1% 95	3,196
North Africa	Libya	6,036,914	0.3% 96	18,120
Western Europe	Liechtenstein	34,247	0.22% 97	75
East Asia	Macau	456,989	17%98 - 50%99 - 85%100101	77,688 - 228,495 - 388,441
East Africa	Madagascar	19,448,815	0.1% 102	19,449
Southeast Asia	Malaysia	24,821,286	22% 103	5,460,683
South Asia	Maldives	369,031	0.45% 104	1,661
East Africa	Mauritius	1,250,882	2.5% 105	31,272
North America	Mexico	108,700,891	0.1% (approx)106	108,701
Central Asia	Mongolia	2,951,786	50%107 - 94%108	1,475,893 - 2,774,679
Southern Africa	Namibia	2,055,080	0.1% 109	2,055
South Asia	Nepal	28,901,790	11% 110	3,179,197
Western Europe	Netherlands	16,570,613	0.105%111 - 1%112	17,399 - 165,706
Caribbean	Netherlands Antilles	223,652	0.7% (approx)	1,566
Oceania	New Caledonia	221,943	3% 113	6,657
Oceania	New Zealand	4,115,771	1.2% 114	49,389
Central America	Nicaragua	5,675,356	0.1% 115	5,675
Western Europe	Norway	4,627,926	0.42% 116	19,437
Middle East	Oman	3,204,897	1% 117	32,049
South Asia	Pakistan	164,741,924	0.1% 118	164,742
Central America	Panama	3,242,173	2.1% 119	68,086
Oceania	Papua New Guinea	5,795,887	0.3% 120	17,388
South America	Paraguay	6,669,086	0.5% 121	33,345
South America	Peru	28,674,757	0.31% 122	88,892
Southeast Asia	Philippines	91,077,287	2.5% 123	2,276,932
Western Europe	Portugal	10,642,836	0.03%	3,193
Central Europe	Poland	38,518,241	0.1%	38,518
Caribbean	Puerto Rico	3,944,259	0.03% 124	1,183
Middle East	Qatar	907,229	5% (approx)125	45,361
East Africa	Reunion	784,000	1%	7,840
Eastern Europe	Romania	22,276,056	0.01% (approx)126	2,228
Eastern Europe	Russia	141,377,752	0.75%127 - 1.1% - 1.45%128	1,060,333 - 1,555,155 - 2,049,977
Middle East	Saudi Arabia	27,601,038	1.5% 129	414,016
West Africa	Senegal	12,521,851	0.01%	1,252
Balkans	Serbia	10,150,265	0.01% (approx)	1,015
East Africa	Seychelles	81,895	1%	819
Southeast Asia	Singapore	4,553,009	42.5%130 51% 131 - 61.1% 132	1,935,029 - 2,322,035 - 2,781,888
Central Europe	Slovakia	5,447,502	0.1% 133	5,447
Central Europe	Slovenia	2,009,245	0.06% (approx)	1,206
Western Europe	Spain	40,448,191	0.025% 134 - 0.5% - 0.75%	10,112 - 200,000 - 300,000135
Southern Africa	South Africa	43,997,828	0.1% 136	43,998
South Asia	Sri Lanka	20,926,315	70% 137	14,648,421
South America	Suriname	470,784	1%	4,708
Western Europe	Sweden	9,031,088	0.2% 138	18,062
Western Europe	Switzerland	7,554,661	0.29% 139	21,909
East Asia	Taiwan	22,858,872	35%140 - 75%141 - 93% 142	8,000,605 - 17,144,154 - 21,258,751
Central Asia	Tajikistan	7,076,598	0.1% 143	7,076
East Africa	Tanzania	39,384,223	0.1% 144	39,384
Southeast Asia	Thailand	65,068,149	95% 145	61,814,742
Caribbean	Trinidad and Tobago	1,056,608	0.7% 146	7,396
Middle East	Turkey	71,158,647	0.1% 147	71,159
Central Asia	Turkmenistan	5,097,028	0.1% 148	50,970
Eastern Europe	Ukraine	46,299,862	0.1% (approx)92	46,300
Middle East	United Arab Emirates	4,444,011	5% 149	222,201
Western Europe	United Kingdom	60,776,238	0.3%150	152,000150
North America	United States	301,139,947	0.5%151	1,505,700 - 6,022,799
South America	Uruguay	3,460,607	0.1% 152	3,461
Central Asia	Uzbekistan	27,780,059	0.2% 153	55,560
Oceania	Vanuatu	211,971	1% 154	2,120
South America	Venezuela	26,023,528	0.2% 155	52,047
Southeast Asia	Vietnam	85,262,356	16%156 - >50%157 - 85% (approx)158	13,641,977 - >42,631,178 - 72,473,003
Southern Africa	Zimbabwe	12,311,143	0.1% 159	12,311
Total		6,671,226,000	7.335% – 10.348% - 22.665% (depending on extent of syncretism)	489,325,203 - 690,364,656 - 1,512,013,359

By region

These percentages were calculated by using the above numbers. The first percentage, 4th column, all but last row, is the percentage of population that is Buddhist in a region (Buddhists in the region * 100/total population of the region). The last row shows the Buddhist percentage compared to the total Buddhist population of the world (Buddhists in the region * 100/total Buddhist population of the world).

(Note: Egypt, Sudan, and other Arab Maghreb countries are counted as part of North Africa, not Middle East).

Top 20

Top 20 by population on the left and by percentage on the right.

Top 20

Rank	Country	Buddhist Population	% of Buddhists	Country	% of Buddhists	Buddhist Population
1	People's Republic of China	277,588,896 - 1,057,481,510	21% - 80%	Mongolia	98%	2,816,644
2	Japan	122,369,253	96%	Bhutan	97%	2,250,014
3	Vietnam	74,268,750	85%	Cambodia	96.5%	13,938,460
4	Thailand	61,814,742	95%	Japan	96%