Buddhists in the World
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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 statistics are shown here as well:
| Area | Percent Buddhist | Buddhists |
|---|---|---|
| China, liberal est. | 80.00% | 1,070,893,447 |
| China, conservative est. | 50.00% | 669,308,405 |
| Japan | 96.00% | 122,022,837 |
| Thailand | 95.00% | 62,626,649 |
| India | 3.25% | 37,913,134 |
| Sri Lanka | 70.00% | 14,933,050 |
| Burma | 90.00% | 43,323,967 |
| Cambodia | 95.00% | 13,769,578 |
| Laos | 75.00% | 5,126,207 |
| Other Asian countries | 16.00% | 213,492,875 |
| Total Buddhists in Asia, lib. est. | 1,584,101,744 | |
| Total Buddhists in Asia, cons. est. | 1,182,516,701 | |
| U.S.A. | 2.00% | 6,135,071 |
| Canada & N. Am. islands | 1.10% | 368,447 |
| Total Buddhists in N. America | 6,503,518 | |
| Germany | 1.10% | 905,657 |
| France | 1.20% | 773,215 |
| United Kingdom | 1.20% | 733,395 |
| Other European countries | 0.15% | 785,700 |
| Total Buddhists in Europe | 3,197,966 | |
| Total Buddhists in Latin America and S. Am. | 0.15% | 868,929 |
| Total Buddhists in Australia & Oceania | 1.80% | 618,752 |
| Total Buddhists in Africa | 0.02% | 194,550 |
| Total Buddhists in the world, liberal est. | 1,595,485,458 | |
| Total Buddhists in the world, conservative est. | 1,193,900,416 |
Approximately 1.2 billion to 1.6 billion Buddhists in the world.
Last updated: April 2010
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
- http://www.daophatngaynay.com/english/world/facts/conversion-manpreet.htm Mass conversion of dalits in India (untouchables converting to Buddhism)
- http://www.newsweek.com/id/117810/page/1 India 3.25% Buddhist
- For a complete list of references and statistics used, see the article at TheDhamma.com website linked at the top.