Buddhism by Country

The percentage of Buddhist population of each country was taken from the US State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report 2004 . Other sources used were CIA Factbook and adherents.com . The total population of each country was taken from census.gov (2005 estimates). Some adherents give much higher figures:

Contents

Buddhism By country

Buddhism by country
Region Country Population(2005E) % of Buddhists Buddhist total
Central Asia Buddhism in Afghanistan 29,928,987 n/a n/a
Balkans Buddhism in Albania 3,563,112 n/a n/a
North Africa Buddhism in Algeria 32,531,853 n/a n/a
Southern Africa Buddhism in Angola 11,190,786 n/a n/a
South America Buddhism in Argentina 39,537,943 0.1% 40,000
Middle East Buddhism in Armenia 2,982,904 n/a n/a
Oceania Buddhism in Australia 20,090,437 1.9% 380,000
Central Europe Buddhism in Austria 8,184,691 0.127% 10,400
Middle East Buddhism in Azerbaijan 7,911,974 n/a n/a
Middle East Buddhism in Bahrain 688,345 n/a n/a
South Asia Buddhism in Bangladesh 144,319,628 0.5% 700,000
Eastern Europe Buddhism in Belarus 10,300,483 n/a n/a
Western Europe Buddhism in Belgium 10,364,388 0.2% 20,000
Central America Buddhism in Belize 279,457 n/a n/a
West Africa Buddhism in Benin 7,460,025 n/a n/a
South Asia Buddhism in Bhutan 2,232,291 74% 1,700,000
South America Buddhism in Bolivia 8,857,870 0.1% 9,000
Balkans Buddhism in Bosnia and Herzegovina 4,025,476 n/a n/a
Southern Africa Buddhism in Botswana 1,640,115 n/a n/a
South America Buddhism in Brazil 186,112,794 0.125% 233,000
Southeast Asia Buddhism in Brunei 372,361 13% 48,000
Balkans Buddhism in Bulgaria 7,450,349 n/a n/a
West Africa Buddhism in Burkina Faso 13,925,313 n/a n/a
Central Africa Buddhism in Burundi 6,370,609 n/a n/a
Southeast Asia Buddhism in Cambodia 13,607,069 93% 13,000,000
West Africa Buddhism in Cameroon 16,380,005 n/a n/a
North America Buddhism in Canada 32,805,041 0.8% 300,000
Central Africa Buddhism in Central African Republic 3,799,897 n/a n/a
Central Africa Buddhism in Chad 9,826,419 n/a n/a
South America Buddhism in Chile 15,980,912 n/a n/a
East Asia Buddhism in China 1,306,313,812 30% 390,000,000
South America Buddhism in Colombia 42,954,279 n/a n/a
East Africa Buddhism in Comoros 671,247 n/a n/a
Central Africa Buddhism in Congo (Brazzaville) 3,039,126 n/a n/a
Central Africa Buddhism in Congo (Kinshasa) 60,085,004 n/a n/a
Central America Buddhism in Costa Rica 4,016,173 0.1% 4,000
Balkans Buddhism in Croatia 4,495,904 n/a n/a
North America Buddhism in Cuba 11,346,670 0.1% 10,000
Middle East Buddhism in Cyprus 780,133 n/a n/a
Central Europe Buddhism in Czech Republic 10,241,138 n/a n/a
West Africa Buddhism in Côte d’Ivoire 17,298,040 n/a n/a
Western Europe Buddhism in Denmark 5,432,335 n/a n/a
East Africa Buddhism in Djibouti 476,703 n/a n/a
Caribbean Buddhism in Dominican Republic 8,950,034 n/a n/a
Southeast Asia Buddhism in East Timor 1,040,880 n/a n/a
South America Buddhism in Ecuador 13,363,593 0.1% 10,000
North Africa Buddhism in Egypt 77,505,756 n/a n/a
Central America Buddhism in El Salvador 6,704,932 n/a n/a
East Africa Buddhism in Eritrea 4,561,599 n/a n/a
Eastern Europe Buddhism in Estonia 1,332,893 n/a n/a
East Africa Buddhism in Ethiopia 73,053,286 n/a n/a
Oceania Buddhism in Fiji 893,354 n/a n/a
Western Europe Buddhism in Finland 5,223,442 0.1% 5,000
Western Europe Buddhism in France 60,656,178 0.8% 500,000
West Africa Buddhism in Gabon 1,389,201 n/a n/a
West Africa Buddhism in The Gambia 1,593,256 n/a n/a
Middle East Buddhism in Georgia 4,677,401 n/a n/a
Western Europe Buddhism in Germany 82,431,390 0.1% 80,000
West Africa Buddhism in Ghana 21,029,853 n/a n/a
Balkans Buddhism in Greece 10,668,354 n/a n/a
Caribbean Buddhism in Grenada 89,502 n/a n/a
Central America Buddhism in Guatemala 14,655,189 n/a n/a
West Africa Buddhism in Guinea 9,467,866 n/a n/a
West Africa Buddhism in Guinea-Bissau 1,416,027 n/a n/a
South America Buddhism in Guyana 765,283 n/a n/a
Caribbean Buddhism in Haiti 8,121,622 n/a n/a
Central America Buddhism in Honduras 6,975,204 n/a n/a
Central Europe Buddhism in Hungary 10,006,835 n/a n/a
Western Europe Buddhism in Iceland 296,737 n/a n/a
South Asia Buddhism in India 1,080,264,388 0.7% 8,000,000
Southeast Asia Buddhism in Indonesia 241,973,879 0.84% 2,000,000
Middle East Buddhism in Iran 68,017,860 n/a n/a
Middle East Buddhism in Iraq 26,074,906 n/a n/a
Western Europe Buddhism in Ireland 4,015,676 0.1 4,000
Middle East Buddhism in Israel 6,276,883 n/a n/a
Western Europe Buddhism in Italy 58,103,033 n/a n/a
Caribbean Buddhism in Jamaica 2,731,832 n/a n/a
East Asia Buddhism in Japan 127,417,244 71% 90,000,000
Middle East Buddhism in Jordan 5,759,732 n/a n/a
Central Asia Buddhism in Kazakhstan 15,185,844 n/a n/a
East Africa Buddhism in Kenya 33,829,590 n/a n/a
East Asia Buddhism in Korea, North 22,912,177 23.33% 5,345,411
East Asia Buddhism in Korea, South 48,422,644 23.33% 11,300,000
Middle East Buddhism in Kuwait 2,335,648 n/a n/a
Central Asia Buddhism in Kyrgyzstan 5,146,281 n/a n/a
Southeast Asia Buddhism in Laos 6,217,141 60% 3,700,000
Eastern Europe Buddhism in Latvia 2,290,237 n/a n/a
Middle East Buddhism in Lebanon 3,826,018 n/a n/a
Southern Africa Buddhism in Lesotho 1,867,035 n/a n/a
West Africa Buddhism in Liberia 3,482,211 n/a n/a
North Africa Buddhism in Libya 5,765,563 n/a n/a
Eastern Europe Buddhism in Lithuania 3,596,617 n/a n/a
Western Europe Buddhism in Luxembourg 468,571 n/a n/a
Balkans Buddhism in Macedonia 2,045,262 n/a n/a
Southern Africa Buddhism in Madagascar 18,040,341 n/a n/a
Southern Africa Buddhism in Malawi 12,158,924 n/a n/a
Southeast Asia Buddhism in Malaysia 23,953,136 19.2% 4,600,000
South Asia Buddhism in Maldives 349,106 n/a n/a
West Africa Buddhism in Mali 12,291,529 n/a n/a
North Africa Buddhism in Mauritania 3,086,859 n/a n/a
Southern Africa Buddhism in Mauritius 1,230,602 0.3% 4,000
North America Buddhism in Mexico 106,202,903 n/a n/a
Eastern Europe Buddhism in Moldova 4,455,421 n/a n/a
Central Asia Buddhism in Mongolia 2,791,272 93% 2,600,000
North Africa Buddhism in Morocco 32,725,847 n/a n/a
Southern Africa Buddhism in Mozambique 19,406,703 n/a n/a
Southeast Asia Buddhism in Myanmar 42,909,464 90% 39,000,000
Southern Africa Buddhism in Namibia 2,030,692 n/a n/a
South Asia Buddhism in Nepal 27,676,547 11% 3,000,000
Western Europe Buddhism in the Netherlands 16,407,491 0.5% 80,000
Oceania Buddhism in New Zealand 4,035,461 1.08% 43,600
Central America Buddhism in Nicaragua 5,465,100 0.1% 5,000
West Africa Buddhism in Niger 11,665,937 n/a n/a
West Africa Buddhism in Nigeria 128,771,988 n/a n/a
Western Europe Buddhism in Norway 4,593,041 0.1% 5,000
Middle East Buddhism in Oman 3,001,583 0.5% 20,000
South Asia Buddhism in Pakistan 162,419,946 0.1% 200,000
Middle East Buddhism in Palestine 3,761,904 n/a n/a
Central America Buddhism in Panama 3,039,150 0.5% 20,000
Oceania Buddhism in Papua New Guinea 5,545,268 0.2% 10,000
South America Buddhism in Paraguay 6,347,884 0.5% 30,000
South America Buddhism in Peru 27,925,628 n/a n/a
Southeast Asia Buddhism in Philippines 87,857,473 1.5% 1,300,000
Central Europe Buddhism in Poland 38,635,144 n/a n/a
Western Europe Buddhism in Portugal 10,566,212 0.6% 60,000
Caribbean Buddhism in Puerto Rico 3,916,632 n/a n/a
Middle East Buddhism in Qatar 863,051 n/a n/a
Balkans Buddhism in Romania 22,329,977 n/a n/a
Eastern Europe Buddhism in Russia 143,420,309 0.5% 700,000
East Africa Buddhism in Rwanda 8,440,820 n/a n/a
Middle East Buddhism in Saudi Arabia 26,417,599 0.3% 80,000
West Africa Buddhism in Senegal 11,126,832 n/a n/a
Balkans Buddhism in Serbia and Montenegro 10,829,175 n/a n/a
East Africa Buddhism in Seychelles 81,188 n/a n/a
West Africa Buddhism in Sierra Leone 6,017,643 n/a n/a
Southeast Asia Buddhism in Singapore 4,425,720 42.5% 1,880,000
Central Europe Buddhism in Slovakia 5,431,363 n/a n/a
Central Europe Buddhism in Slovenia 2,011,070 n/a n/a
East Africa Buddhism in Somalia 8,591,629 n/a n/a
Southern Africa Buddhism in South Africa 44,344,136 0.1% 40,000
Western Europe Buddhism in Spain 40,341,462 n/a n/a
South Asia Buddhism in Sri Lanka 20,064,776 70% 14,000,000
North Africa Buddhism in Sudan 40,187,486 n/a n/a
South America Buddhism in Suriname 438,144 n/a n/a
Southern Africa Buddhism in Swaziland 1,173,900 n/a n/a
Western Europe Buddhism in Sweden 9,001,774 0.2% 20,000
Western Europe Buddhism in Switzerland 7,489,370 0.1% 7,000
Middle East Buddhism in Syria 18,448,752 n/a n/a
East Asia Buddhism in Taiwan 22,894,384 25% 5,700,000
Central Asia Buddhism in Tajikistan 7,163,506 0.1% 7,000
East Africa Buddhism in Tanzania 36,766,356 0.1% 40,000
Southeast Asia Buddhism in Thailand 65,444,371 94% 62,000,000
West Africa Buddhism in Togo 5,681,519 n/a n/a
Central America Buddhism in Trinidad and Tobago 1,088,644 0.3% 3,000
North Africa Buddhism in Tunisia 10,074,951 n/a n/a
Middle East Buddhism in Turkey 69,660,559 0.1% 70,000
Central Asia Buddhism in Turkmenistan 4,952,081 n/a n/a
East Africa Buddhism in Uganda 27,269,482 n/a n/a
Eastern Europe Buddhism in Ukraine 47,425,336 n/a n/a
Middle East Buddhism in the United Arab Emirates 2,563,212 2% 50,000
Western Europe Buddhism in the United Kingdom 60,441,457 0.5% 300,000
North America Buddhism in the United States 295,734,134 1% 3,000,000
South America Buddhism in Uruguay 3,415,920 n/a n/a
Central Asia Buddhism in Uzbekistan 26,851,195 0.2% 50,000
South America Buddhism in Venezuela 25,375,281 0.1% 30,000
Southeast Asia Buddhism in Vietnam 83,535,576 50% 42,000,000
North Africa Buddhism in Western Sahara 273,008 n/a n/a
Middle East Buddhism in Yemen 20,727,063 n/a n/a
Southern Africa Buddhism in Zambia 11,261,795 n/a n/a
Southern Africa Buddhism in Zimbabwe 12,746,990 n/a n/a
Total 6,430,856,221 11.01% 708,349,411

Buddhism By region

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

Buddhism in Africa
Region Total Population Buddhists % of Buddhists % of Buddhist total
Central Africa 83,121,055 0 0% 0%
East Africa 193,741,900 36,766 0.019% 0.005%
North Africa 202,151,323 0 0% 0%
Southern Africa 137,092,019 48,035 0.035% 0.007%
West Africa 268,997,245 0 0% 0%
Total 885,103,542 84,801 0.01% 0.012%
Buddhism in Asia
Region Total Population Buddhists % of Buddhists % of Buddhist total
Central Asia 92,019,166 2,657,000 2.887% 0.375%
East Asia 1,527,960,261 502,345,411 32.877% 70.918%
Middle East 274,775,527 220,000 0.08% 0.031%
South Asia 1,437,326,682 27,187,525 1.892% 3.84%
Southeast Asia 571,337,070 166,920,075 29.216% 23.565%
Total 3,903,418,706 699,324,941 17.916% 98.73%
Buddhism in Europe
Region Total Population Buddhists % of Buddhists % of Buddhist total
Balkans 65,407,609 0 0% 0%
Central Europe 74,510,241 10,394 0.014% 0.001%
Eastern Europe 212,821,296 717,101 0.337% 0.101%
Western Europe 375,832,557 1,068,354 0.28% 0.254%
Total 728,571,703 1,795,849 0.244% 0.254%
Buddhism in The Americas
Region Total Population Buddhists % of Buddhists % of Buddhist total
Caribbean 23,809,622 0 0% 0%
Central America 42,223,849 27,941 0.066% 0.004%
North America 446,088,748 3,231,127 0.724% 0.456%
South America 371,075,531 351,511 0.095% 0.05%
Total 883,197,750 3,610,579 0.409% 0.51%
Buddhism in Oceania
Region Total Population Buddhists % of Buddhists % of Buddhist total
Oceania 30,564,520 436,390 1.428% 0.062%

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 China 391,894,143 30% Thailand 94% 61,517,708
2 Japan 90,466,243 71% Cambodia 93% 12,654,574
3 Thailand 61,517,708 94% Mongolia 93% 2,595,882
4 Vietnam 41,767,788 50% Myanmar 90% 38,618,517
5 Myanmar 38,618,517 90% Bhutan 74% 1,651,895
6 Sri Lanka 14,045,343 70% Japan 71% 90,466,243
7 Cambodia 12,654,574 93% Sri Lanka 70% 14,045,343
8 Korea, South 11,297,002 23.33% Laos 60% 3,730,284
9 India 7,561,850 0.7% Vietnam 50% 41,767,788
10 Taiwan 5,723,596 90% Singapore 42.5% 1,880,931
16 Indonesia 2,032,580 0.84% China 30% 391,894,143
11 Malaysia 4,599,002 19.2% Taiwan 25% 5,723,596
12 Laos 3,730,284 60% Korea, South 23.33% 11,297,002
13 Nepal 3,044,420 11% Malaysia 19.2% 4,599,002
14 United States 2,957,341 1% Brunei 13% 48,406
15 Mongolia 2,595,882 93% Nepal 11% 3,044,420
17 Singapore 1,880,931 42.5% United Arab Emirates 2% 51,264
18 Bhutan 1,651,895 74% Australia 1.9% 381,718
19 Bangladesh 721,598 0.5% Korea, North 23.33% 5,345,411
20 Russia 717,101 0.5% New Zealand 1.08% 43,582

References

  • The US State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report 2004
  • CIA FactBook
  • adherents.com
  • Religious Freedom page
  • census.gov
  • Stockholm Buddhist center Bouddhisme dans le monde

Pagilian ken Rehion iti Budhismo Boeddhisme per land

buddha monk

buddha monk