BUDDHISTS: NUMBERS, IDENTITY, WHERE THEY LIVE, DEMOGRAPHY

BUDDHISTS

Buddhists account for 6 percent to 8 percent of the world's total population. Buddhism is practiced by around a half billion people (488 million according to Pew in 2012; 520 according to Wikipedia in 2023, or 535 million according to the Chinese government in 2016). Buddhism had around 379 million followers (6 percent of the world’s population) in the early 2000 according to National Geographic.[Source: Wikipedia]

Buddhism is the world's fourth, fifth or sixth largest religion in world behind Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. Traditional Chinese religions has a similar number of adherents as Buddhism. Some surveys include non-religious and atheist people as a a religious group. Many practitioners of Buddhism and Chinese folk religions are only luke-warm practitioners. These are among the reason for the discrepancies and ranking differences.

World religions (percent of the world population): 1) Christianity (31.6 percent); 2) Islam (25.8 percent); 3) Hinduism (15 percent); 4) non-religious and atheist (14.4 percent); 5) Chinese folk religions (6 percent); 6) Buddhism (6 percent); and 7) Other (1 percent). [Source: Statista]

Websites and Resources on Buddhism: Buddha Net buddhanet.net/e-learning/basic-guide ; Internet Sacred Texts Archive sacred-texts.com/bud/index ; Introduction to Buddhism webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/buddhaintro ; Early Buddhist texts, translations, and parallels, SuttaCentral suttacentral.net ; East Asian Buddhist Studies: A Reference Guide, UCLA web.archive.org ; View on Buddhism viewonbuddhism.org ; Tricycle: The Buddhist Review tricycle.org ; BBC - Religion: Buddhism bbc.co.uk/religion ;

Where Buddhists Live

About 98 percent of the world’s Buddhist live in Asia. The highest concentrations of devout Buddhists are found in Southeast Asia and the Himalayas. In eastern Asia people practice Buddhism to varying degrees. Many Chinese, Japanese and Koreans, who do not necessarily consider themselves Buddhists, incorporate many Buddhist beliefs into their religious and world view.

China has the largest population of Buddhists, with approximately 244 million followers (18 percent of the total Chinese population). They are mostly followers of Chinese schools of Mahayana Buddhism, making this the largest body of Buddhist traditions. Mahayana is also widely practiced in Japan and Korea. It is practiced by over half of world Buddhists. [Source: Wikipedia +]

Buddhism is the dominant religion in Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Tibet, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Laos, Mongolia, Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore. Large Buddhist populations live in Mainland China, Taiwan, North Korea, Nepal and South Korea.

Thirteen percent of the world’s Buddhists live in Thailand (where 93 percent of the population is Buddhist) and 9 percent are in Japan (35 percent Buddhist). Only about 1.4 percent of the world’s Buddhists live in countries outside of Asia. [Source: Kelsey Jo Starr, Pew Research Center, April 5, 2019]

Difficulty Counting the Number of Buddhists

The number of Buddhists counted can vary quite a bit depending on the source and even then these numbers are not so accurate, primarily because it is difficult to define and count a Buddhist in East Asia, where, Peter A. Pardue wrote in the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences: “the variation based principally on the fact that in Mahayana lands “orthodox” commitment to one religious faith was never a significant cultural characteristic. The populations of China and Japan could not be categorized as Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, or Shintoist in the same way that Western religious history seems to lend itself to relatively clear confessional divisions between Protestants, Catholics, and Jews. [Source: Peter A. Pardue, International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2000s, Encyclopedia.com]

In Japan, for example, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Shinto have frequently formed a single interlocking system for the specialized satisfaction of a wide range of personal and social needs. The same family that takes an infant to a Shinto shrine for a baptismal ceremony will, without any sense of conflict, have funeral rites conducted by Buddhist monks and maintain family ancestral worship and ethical standards largely dominated by Confucian values.

In China, just prior to 1949 less than one-fifth of the popular cults were recognizably oriented to Buddhism in some form, and only a small fraction of the total population (under 1 per cent) were specifically affiliated with the monastic orders. Since 1949 this percentage has been further reduced, as it also has, most recently and drastically, in Tibet, where over one-fifth of the total population once lived in the monasteries. In Japan more than three-quarters of the population have Buddhist affiliations,

Buddhists in Non-Buddhist Countries

At least at one time Buddhism was the fastest growing religion among well-educated, white middle class Americans. Buddhists make up roughly 1 percent of the adult population in the United States. About two-thirds of U.S. Buddhists are Asian Americans, according to Pew Research Center estimates. Among Asian Americans, 43 percent of Vietnamese Americans and a quarter of Japanese Americans identify as Buddhist, with most of the rest identifying as either Christian or religiously unaffiliated. [Source: Kelsey Jo Starr, Pew Research Center, April 5, 2019]

Of the Buddhists that live outside of Asia about 4 million live in the U.S. And Canada, 2 million live in Europe, 1 million live in Latin American, 700,000 are in Oceania and 150,00 are in Africa. Buddhism is also growing by conversion. In New Zealand, about 25–35 percent of the total Buddhists are converts to Buddhism. Buddhism has a significant population in Scandinavia. In the city of Kuopio in North Savonia Burmese Buddhists founded the first Buddhist monastery of Finland, named the Buddha Dhamma Ramsi monastery.

In India, more than 85 percent of the total Buddhists have converted from Hinduism to Buddhism, and they are called neo-Buddhists or Ambedkarite Buddhists. The Indian state of Maharashtra account for 77 percent of all Buddhists in India. In Russia, Buddhists form majority in Tuva (52 percent) and Kalmykia (53 percent). Buryatia (20 percent) and Zabaykalsky Krai (15 percent) also have significant Buddhist populations. [Source: Wikipedia]

Buddhist Demographics

Buddhists proportion of world's population expected to decrease by 2060. According to Pew: “Buddhists made up roughly 7 percent of the world’s population in 2015, but they are expected to decrease to roughly 5 percent by 2060. This is because Buddhists have relatively low fertility rates compared with other religious groups, and they are not expected to grow significantly due to conversions or religious switching. [Source: Kelsey Jo Starr, Pew Research Center, April 5, 2019]

Buddhists are older than world's overall population. With a median age of 36, Buddhists are older than the world’s overall population, which has a median age of 30, according to estimates as of 2015. They also are older than people in other major religious groups, such as Muslims (median of 24), Hindus (median of 27) and Christians (median of 30). Religiously unaffiliated adults have the same median age as Buddhists

Buddhist Identity and Practices

Buddhism in Asia is a matter of both identity and practice. Scholars and journalists have documented that many people in Asian countries may engage in Buddhist (and other religious) practices without considering themselves part of any organized religion. [Source: Kelsey Jo Starr, Pew Research Center, April 5, 2019]

Buddhists practices vary from sect to sect. Some sects have mysterious rituals and expel demons though exorcism. Others stress asceticism and quiet meditation. Other still put emphasis on philosophical speculation and community service. Buddhism developed out Hinduism and absorbed elements of shamanist religions that existed before it. Elements of these religions live on in within the sects to varying degrees in terms of reverence towards Hindu gods, saints, natural spirits and ghosts.

Buddhism’s success in attracting believers has been at least partly attributed to the universality of its ethical teaching and the flexibility of its spiritual message. The goal of Buddhism is to reach a transcendent state that completely absorbs the mind and soul and makes the material world meaningless, bringing freedom and peace to the individual worshiper. It also promotes a code of conduct for the community and the individual that provides a framework for a peaceful society and peace of mind.

Peter A. Pardue wrote in the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences:Amid this diversity there are a few central elements, which may be taken as generally characteristic of Buddhism throughout the larger part of its history. First, for all Buddhists the common point of unity has been in the symbol of the Buddha — whether revered chiefly as a human teacher, as in Theravada, or worshiped as a supreme deity, as in certain forms of theistic Mahayana. In all cases the element of personal commitment in faith is present in some form. [Source: Peter A. Pardue, International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2000s, Encyclopedia.com]

Second, Buddhism is one of the three major religions of the world which defines the human situation with sufficient universality for all mankind to fall within the scope of its message of salvation without prior criteria of social, ethnic, or geographic origin. The voluntary act of personal conversion in response to the teaching was from the very beginning and still remains one of the most decisive symbols of its missionary scope.

Third, from the very beginning Buddhism was dominated by a religious elite for whom the monastic ideal and pursuit of a mystical, otherworldly goal were overriding concerns, frequently to the exclusion of consistent focus on mundane socioeconomic and political problems. However, even here there are many exceptions which must be noted and which require that Buddhism be “defined” with careful regard for its discrete historical forms.

Buddhism around the world: percentage by country

Buddhist Monks and Lay People

There are essentially two kinds of Buddhists monks (sangha) and lay people (non-monks who practice Buddhism). Buddhist religious life has traditionally centered around “sanghas” ("Orders of Disciplines"), a word used to describe communities of monks who preserve and transmit Buddha’s teachings and live at monasteries. Buddhists believe that the spiritual quest of monks benefits the entire community and their rituals bring prosperity and protection.

There is strong supportive relationship between the monk community and lay people. With lay men and women providing monks with food, lodging and medicine for monks and monks giving them Dharma in return.

Lay people are supposed to follow the basic tenets of Buddhism and provide alms to monks and temples. They are considered a lower incarnation than monks and are not required to spend as much time praying and meditating as monks.

Buddhist texts describe the relationships between parents and children, husbands and wives, employers and employees, etc., and also describe to some degree how these people are supposed to behave to one another.

Buddhists in China

Buddhism is regarded as the largest religion in China today, with 100 million followers, or about 8 percent of the Chinese population, including Tibetans, Mongolians and a few other ethnic minorities like the Dai. There is roughly around the same number of Christians and Muslims. Still, it can be argued that Buddhism is not embraced with the same enthusiasm and devotion as it is in other Asian countries and in Tibet. Many Buddhist temples in China are watched over by caretakers not monks. In Japan and Korea, many people are buried according to Buddhist rites, but that is not usually the case in China.

According to the official website of the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) of China, there are currently 33,652 Buddhist temples and monasteries in China, of which 3,853 are Tibetan Buddhist. According to SARA most of the Tibetan Buddhist venues are in Tibet and bordering areas (46 percent of them, or 1,779 venues, are in Tibet autonomous region and 27.4 percent, or 783 venues, are in Sichuan province). [Source: Xu Wei, China Daily, December 19, 2015; [Source: Kou Jie, Global Times January 18, 2016]

In 2005 the Chinese government acknowledged that there were an estimated 100 million adherents to various sects of Buddhism and some 16,000 temples 9,500 and monasteries, many maintained as cultural landmarks and tourist attractions. The Buddhist Association of China was established in 1953 to oversee officially sanctioned Buddhist activities. According to SARA there were about 13,000 Buddhist temples and about 200,000 Buddhist monks and nuns in the 1990s. [Source: Library of Congress]

Buddhists in Japan

As is the case with Shinto, estimates on the number of Buddhists in Japan varies greatly. According to one count there are 92 million of them, in another there are 37 million. The first figure reflects the majority of Japanese, who visit Buddhists temples and make offerings at Buddhist shrines from time to time, and attend Buddhist funerals. The second figure reflects more serious Buddhist followers.

The are numerous Buddhist sects in Japan. The largest is the Nichiren sect with about nine million members. The Zen sect has about 4.5 million members. Most Japanese Buddhist sects embrace beliefs of East Asian Mahayana ("Greater Vehicle") Buddhism, which preaches salvation in paradise for everyone rather than focusing on individual perfection as is the case with Theravada Buddhism favored in Southeast Asia.

Buddhism has traditionally been embraced by Japanese because it promised salvation and an afterlife. It is practiced in conjunction with Shinto beliefs — people often say prayers both to Buddha and Shintos kamis — and this is not considered contradictory. Today, Japanese Buddhism contains elements of Chinese-style ancestor worship. Most Japanese are "funeral Buddhists," meaning they partake in Buddhist rituals only when someone dies.

Buddhists in Southeast Asia

Most of the Buddhists in Southeast Asia are Theravada Buddhists — belonging to one of the two main Buddhist traditions. Historically, Mahayana Buddhism — the other main tradition — had a strong presence in the region. But in relatively modern times, Theravada Buddhist has become dominant in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. [Source: Wikipedia]

Vietnam continues to have a Mahayana majority due to the Chinese influence there. Indonesia was Mahayana Buddhist from around the 7th to 11th century and the dominate form of Buddhism there remains Mahayana Buddhism but is now largely practiced by the Chinese diaspora, although many of them are Christians. Mahayana Buddhism is the predominant religion of Chinese communities in Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei.

Buddhist Percentage by Country (United Nations):
Country — Percent
Cambodia — 97.1 percent
Thailand — 94.5 percent
Myanmar — 90.1 percent
Laos — 66 percent
Singapore — 33.9 percent
Malaysia — 18.7 percent
Vietnam — 16.4 percent
Brunei — 8.6 percent
Indonesia — 0.77 percent
Philippines — 2.0 percent
East Timor — 0.1 percent

Buddhists in Tibet and Mongolia

According to the 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: China—Tibet: Most ethnic Tibetans practice Tibetan Buddhism, although a sizeable minority practices Bon, a pre-Buddhist indigenous religion. Small minorities practice Islam, Catholicism, or Protestantism. Some scholars estimate there are as many as 400,000 Bon followers across the Tibetan Plateau, most of whom also follow the Dalai Lama and consider themselves to be Tibetan Buddhists

Tibetan Buddhism is a syncretic mix of Mahayana Buddhism, Tantrism and local pantheistic religions, particularly the Bon religion. Its organization, public practices and activities are coordinated mainly by monasteries associated with temples. Religious authority is in the hands of priests called lamas.

Most Mongols practice the Yellow Hat sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Buddhism was introduced from Tibet to Mongolia in the beginning of the 13th century. In the second half of the 16th century it became the state religion of the Mongol Princes. The Mongols have used Tibetan Buddhism as way of unifying Mongolians and creating a sense of nationalism. It has incorporated many shamanist symbols and rites.

In the most recent census (2010), Mongolians identified their religious affiliations as: 53 percent Buddhist, 38.6 percent Atheist, 3 percent Muslim, 2.9 percent Shamanist, and 2 percent Christian. [Source: CIA World Factbook =]

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons, Pew Research Center

Text Sources: Pew Research Center, “World Religions” edited by Geoffrey Parrinder (Facts on File Publications, New York); “Encyclopedia of the World Cultures” edited by David Levinson (G.K. Hall & Company, New York, 1994); BBC, Wikipedia, National Geographic, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Times of London, The New Yorker, Reuters, AP, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Compton’s Encyclopedia and various books and other publications.

Last updated December 2023