Buddhists in the World
An article originally published at Dhamma Wiki's mother website, TheDhamma.com with the title Buddhists around the World by Dr. David N. Snyder. The complete statistics are shown here:
| Area | Percent Buddhist | Buddhists |
|---|---|---|
| China | 40.00% | 554,226,615 |
| Japan | 80.00% | 101,714,862 |
| Thailand | 95.00% | 63,659,977 |
| India | 3.25% | 40,694,537 |
| Sri Lanka | 70.00% | 14,891,260 |
| Burma | 90.00% | 47,933,116 |
| Cambodia | 95.00% | 14,378,411 |
| Laos | 75.00% | 5,077,295 |
| Other Asian countries | 16.00% | 234,399,786 |
| Total Buddhists in Asia | 1,076,975,857 | |
| U.S.A. | 2.00% | 6,461,558 |
| Canada & N. Am. islands | 1.10% | 396,708 |
| Total Buddhists in N. America | 6,858,267 | |
| Germany | 1.10% | 887,574 |
| France | 1.20% | 772,744 |
| United Kingdom | 1.20% | 776,590 |
| Other European countries | 0.15% | 792,964 |
| Total Buddhists in Europe | 3,229,871 | |
| Total Buddhists in Latin America and S. Am. | 0.15% | 951,580 |
| Total Buddhists in Australia & Oceania | 1.80% | 707,960 |
| Total Buddhists in Africa | 0.02% | 237,236 |
| Total Buddhists in the world | 1,088,960,772 |
Approximately 1.1 billion Buddhists in the world.
Last updated: January 2016
See also
- Theravada Buddhists in the World
- List of Buddhist Records and Trivia
- 8 Wonders of the Buddhist World
- The appeal of Buddhism
- Misconceptions about Buddhism
References
- The Complete Book of Buddha's Lists -- Explained. David N. Snyder, Ph.D., 2006.
- http://www.thedhamma.com/
- U.S. State Dept. report Approx. 8% to 40% for China. (the report lists 8% but then states that there are "hundreds of millions" of Chinese who practice various religions together, which includes Buddhism).
- BBC News, 2007 Approx. 16% to 23% for China.
- ChinaDaily.com, 2007 Approx. 16% to 21% for China.
- Seanetwork.org article by Dr. A. Smith, 2004 Approx. 50% to 80% for China.
- Global Center for the Study of Contemporary China Approx. 23% to 98% for China (the report lists 23% but states that as many as 98% follow more than one religion, which includes Buddhism).
- Buddhist Channel article, July 7, 2009 Buddhism thrives in China
- Gach, Alpha Books, 2001 Approx. 91% for China.
- http://www.pluralism.org/resources/statistics/ 2% to 4% for U.S.
- http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,660203884,00.html
- daophatngaynay.com 2010 article Mass conversion of dalits in India (untouchables converting to Buddhism)
- Newsweek magazine, March 2008 India now 3.25% Buddhist