Buddhism Counts Nearly 330 Million Adherents, Majority Faith in 7 Asian Countries
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 14
Buddhism Counts Nearly 330 Million Adherents, Majority Faith in 7 Asian Countries
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 14
Nearly 330 million people worldwide now follow Buddhism, which is the majority religion in seven countries across Asia.
The religion began with Siddhartha Gautama in Lumbini around 563 B.C. and spread after his first sermon in Sarnath, India.
Three major traditions drove that expansion: Theravada moved to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, Mahayana spread across Asia, and Vajrayana later took hold in northern and eastern Asia.
China became a major center for Buddhism from the first Buddhist temple in Luoyang to large-scale text translation in Chang’an, though worship was banned during the Cultural Revolution before easing after 1976.
The timeline also shows Buddhism fading in much of India by the 14th century even as it became deeply rooted across East and Southeast Asia.
Why is Buddhism the only major world religion that is shrinking in global numbers?
As states control sacred relics, who truly holds the authority to define Buddhism's future?
How has a faith of non-attachment become a central tool for geopolitical power in Asia?
Global Buddhist Population Falls to 4.1%: Demographic Shifts, State Policies, and the Future of the Faith
Overview
This report explores the unprecedented decline in the global Buddhist population from 2010 to 2020, highlighting that as of 2020, Buddhists made up about 320 million people, or 4.1% of the world’s population. It explains that accurately tracking Buddhist demographics is challenging because the faith is deeply woven into various cultures and societies, making clear identification difficult. These measurement challenges affect how trends are understood and recorded. The report emphasizes that without precise data, understanding the true scale of decline is complex, but the interplay of cultural integration and data limitations is central to analyzing Buddhist population trends.