4/8/07

Wikipedia: How many Buddhists are there?

As usual figures such as these are gross estimates and disputable. Especially in western countries, who counts as a Buddhist? Many follow some form of practice such as meditation, but do not formally identify themselves as belonging to a religion or see that what they do as part of a religion.
Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page.

Buddhism by country
Region Country Population(2005E) % of Buddhists Buddhist total
South America Buddhism in Argentina 39,537,943 0.1% 39,538
Oceania Buddhism in Australia 20,090,437 1.9% 381,718
Central Europe Buddhism in Austria 8,184,691 0.127% 10,395
South Asia Buddhism in Bangladesh 144,319,628 0.5% 721,598
Western Europe Buddhism in Belgium 10,364,388 0.2% 20,729
South Asia Buddhism in Bhutan 2,232,291 98% 2,187,645
South America Buddhism in Bolivia 8,857,870 0.1% 8,858
South America Buddhism in Brazil 186,112,794 0.125% 232,641
Southeast Asia Buddhism in Brunei 372,361 36% 134,050
Southeast Asia Buddhism in Cambodia 13,607,069 96.5% 13,896,861
North America Buddhism in Canada 32,805,041 1.1% 364,088
East Asia Buddhism in China 1,306,313,812 77% 1,005,861,635
Central America Buddhism in Costa Rica 4,016,173 0.1% 4,016
Balkans Buddhism in Croatia 4,495,904 0.02% 1,000
North America Buddhism in Cuba 11,346,670 0.1% 11,347
South America Buddhism in Ecuador 13,363,593 0.1% 13,364
Western Europe Buddhism in Finland 5,223,442 0.1% 5,223
Western Europe Buddhism in France 60,656,178 1.2% 730,514
Western Europe Buddhism in Germany 82,431,390 0.5% 412,411
East Asia Buddhism in Hong Kong 6,437,738 95% 6,115,851
South Asia Buddhism in India 1,080,264,388 1.01% 10,953,520
Southeast Asia Buddhism in Indonesia 241,973,879 1% 2,419,739
Middle East Buddhism in Iran n/a n/a n/a
Western Europe Buddhism in Ireland 4,239,948 0.15% 6,516
Middle East Buddhism in Israel n/a n/a n/a
Western Europe Buddhism in Italy 58,103,033 0.2% 116,206
East Asia Buddhism in Japan 127,417,244 96% 122,320,554
East Asia Buddhism in North Korea 22,912,177 60% 13,747,306
East Asia Buddhism in South Korea 48,628,046 50.7% 24,654,419
Southeast Asia Buddhism in Laos 6,217,141 91.8% 5,707,335
Southeast Asia Buddhism in Malaysia 23,953,136 44% 10,539,380
Southern Africa Buddhism in Mauritius 1,230,602 0.3% 3,692
Central Asia Buddhism in Mongolia 2,791,272 99.3% 2,773,882
Southeast Asia Buddhism in Myanmar 42,909,464 93% 39,905,802
South Asia Buddhism in Nepal 27,676,547 33% 9,133,261
Western Europe Buddhism in the Netherlands 16,407,491 0.5% 80,237
Oceania Buddhism in New Zealand 4,035,461 1.08% 43,583
Central America Buddhism in Nicaragua 5,465,100 0.1% 5,465
Western Europe Buddhism in Norway 4,593,041 0.1% 4,593
Middle East Buddhism in Oman 3,001,583 0.5% 15,008
South Asia Buddhism in Pakistan 162,419,946 0.1% 162,420
Central America Buddhism in Panama 3,039,150 0.54% 16,546
Oceania Buddhism in Papua New Guinea 5,545,268 0.2% 11,091
South America Buddhism in Paraguay 6,347,884 0.5% 31,739
Southeast Asia Buddhism in the Philippines 87,857,473 3% 2,635,724
Western Europe Buddhism in Portugal 10,566,212 0.6% 63,397
Eastern Europe Buddhism in Russia 143,420,309 0.5% 717,101
Middle East Buddhism in Saudi Arabia 26,417,599 0.3% 70,253
Southeast Asia Buddhism in Singapore 4,425,720 61% 2,789,009
Southern Africa Buddhism in South Africa 44,344,136 0.1% 44,344
South Asia Buddhism in Sri Lanka 20,064,776 81% 16,252,469
Western Europe Buddhism in Sweden 9,001,774 0.2% 18,004
Western Europe Buddhism in Switzerland 7,489,370 0.1% 7,489
East Asia Buddhism in Taiwan 22,894,384 95.5% 21,864,136
Central Asia Buddhism in Tajikistan 7,163,506 0.1% 7,164
East Africa Buddhism in Tanzania 36,766,356 0.1% 36,766
Southeast Asia Buddhism in Thailand 65,444,371 97% 63,481,040
Central America Buddhism in Trinidad and Tobago 1,088,644 0.3% 3,266
Middle East Buddhism in Turkey 69,660,559 0.1% 69,661
Middle East Buddhism in the United Arab Emirates 2,563,212 5.9% 151,264
Western Europe Buddhism in the United Kingdom 60,441,457 1% 606,092
North America Buddhism in the United States 295,734,134 2% 5,973,446
Central Asia Buddhism in Uzbekistan 26,851,195 0.2% 53,702
South America Buddhism in Venezuela 25,375,281 0.1% 25,375
Southeast Asia Buddhism in Vietnam 83,535,576 92% 76,852,730
Total 6,437,293,959 22.77% 1,465,987,215

3 comments:

euqid said...

Nice to see the only religion in the world that actually promotes peace and tolerance in practise has such a great number of followers. I just had a whim and wanted to see which religion is currently in the "lead" globally.

This is the best estimate i have been able to make from gleening a nomber of different sources:

Christianity 1.5 - 2 billion
Buddhism 1.5 billion
Islam o.8 - 1 billion
Hinduism 0,8 billion

I am happy to see that buddhism has almost as many followers as christianity, which has an acceptable moral theory which is rarely seen in practise unfortunetely.

Islam seems to be pretty similar to christianity to me. Maybe a bit more extreme, but i do not know its scriptures well enough so this is just a subjective impression gathered from what i know through those few i know who are muslim, along with other input.

Hinduism just seems like a proper fairytale to me, but also they have at least one horribel tradition which is even implemented in remote indian villages to this day. That is the tradition which calls for the female widow to throw herself alive on her husbands funeral pyre. This is a good example of how wrong and extreme religion often becomes among its most devoted followers when they lose sight of ordinary reason. But hinduism is far from beeing alone in this kind of treason against humanity.

Islam, christianity, and almost every other religion is guilty of the same. The only religions i can think of that never demanded inhuman behaviour to please their deity are buddhism and the norse religion. There are probably others. Small religion like the norse one which i do not know of, but they are not really significant because of their small number of followers compared to the ones listed above.

The biggest surprise was the microscopic amount of jews, which made up about a mere 0,2% of the worlds population. This was supposed to be a global threat? LOL! Paranoid enough Adolph H?

Anyway, if anyone against all kinds of odds should find my ramblings of any kind of help whatsoever, i would appreciate a comment:)

Anonymous said...

i am sorry to see large number of people who are still bagans worshipping statues in the 21st century.

Anonymous said...

Buddhism RULES