Index| Group | Where | Number of Adherents |
% of total pop. |
Number of congreg./ churches/ units |
Number of countries |
Year | Source | Quote/ Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buddhism | China | 103,000,000 | - | - | - | 1996 | 1997 Britannica Book of the Year; pg. 781-783. | Table: "Religion ": Divided by nations, with 2 columns: "Religious affiliation " & "1996 pop. " [of that religion]. Based on best avail. figures, whether census data, membership figures or estimates by analysts, as % of est. 1996 midyear pop. |
| Buddhism | China | 102,000,000 | - | - | - | 1997 | Ash, Russell. The Top 10 of Everything, DK Publishing, Inc.: New York (1997); pg. 160-161. | List: "Top 10 Largest Buddhist Populations in the World "; (Rank: 1) |
| Buddhism | China | 36,000,000 | 3.00% | - | - | 1998 | "A Tale of China's Two Churches " in Christianity Today (July 13, 1998). [Source: Amity News Service, Operation World]; pg. 33. | Chart |
| Buddhism | China | - | - | - | - | 1998 | Rutherford, Scott (ed.) East Asia. London: Apa Publications (1998); pg. 45. | "Since the seventh century, the ascetic Bodhisattva has been a popular female figure in China. She is called Guanyin, a motherly goddess of mercy who represents a central deity for the ordinary people. Guanyin means 'the one who lists to complaints'. In Chinese Buddhism, the cenre of religious attention is the Sakyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism... " |
| Buddhism | China | - | - | - | - | 1998 | Rutherford, Scott (ed.) East Asia. London: Apa Publications (1998); pg. 45. | "By the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in 1966, it seemed as if the Red Guards were intent on completely eradicating Buddhism. The autonomous Tibet was hard-hit by these excesses... Today there are Buddhists among the Han Chinese, the Mongols, Tibetans, Manchus, Tu, Qiang and Dai (Hinayana Buddhists) peoples. " |
| Buddhism | Christmas Island | 409 | 55.00% | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* CIA World Factbook web site (viewed Aug. 1998) | Buddhist 55%, Christian 15%, Muslim 10%, other 20% (1991); Total population: 743 (1997 est.). (Territory of Australia.) |
| Buddhism | Colorado | - | 0.10% | - | - | 1990 | Kosmin, B. & S. Lachman. One Nation Under God: Religion in Contemporary American Society; Harmony Books: New York (1993); pg. 88-93. | Table 3-1: Religious Composition of State Populations, 1990 (%). Self-identification of religious loyalty, phone survey w/ 113,000 people; by City U. of New York. |
| Buddhism | Colorado | - | 1.00% | - | - | 2001 | *LINK* Kosmin, Barry A.; Egon Mayer; & Ariela Keysar. "American Religious Identity Survey. " 2001. City University of New York. | ARIS: Nationwide phone survey of 50,000 American adults; open-ended question: 'What is your religion, if any?'; Listed in table: "Buddhist " |
| Buddhism | Connecticut | - | 0.20% | - | - | 1990 | Kosmin, B. & S. Lachman. One Nation Under God: Religion in Contemporary American Society; Harmony Books: New York (1993); pg. 88-93. | Table 3-1: Religious Composition of State Populations, 1990 (%). Self-identification of religious loyalty, phone survey w/ 113,000 people; by City U. of New York. |
| Buddhism | Connecticut | - | 0.00% | - | - | 2001 | *LINK* Kosmin, Barry A.; Egon Mayer; & Ariela Keysar. "American Religious Identity Survey. " 2001. City University of New York. | ARIS: Nationwide phone survey of 50,000 American adults; open-ended question: 'What is your religion, if any?'; Listed in table: "Buddhist "; Actual % between 0 and 0.5%, so sell was left blank. |
| Buddhism | Delaware | - | 0.00% | - | - | 1990 | Kosmin, B. & S. Lachman. One Nation Under God: Religion in Contemporary American Society; Harmony Books: New York (1993); pg. 88-93. | Table 3-1: Religious Composition of State Populations, 1990 (%). Self-identification of religious loyalty, phone survey w/ 113,000 people; by City U. of New York. |
| Buddhism | Delaware | - | 0.00% | - | - | 2001 | *LINK* Kosmin, Barry A.; Egon Mayer; & Ariela Keysar. "American Religious Identity Survey. " 2001. City University of New York. | ARIS: Nationwide phone survey of 50,000 American adults; open-ended question: 'What is your religion, if any?'; Listed in table: "Buddhist "; Actual % between 0 and 0.5%, so sell was left blank. |
| Buddhism | Eurasia | 407,000 | 0.10% | - | - | 1996 | *LINK* web site: "The Geography of Religion Website " (assembled by the students of Morehead State University, under Prof. Timothy C. Pitts); web page: "The Geography of Buddhism " (viewed 2 March 1999); Markham, Ian S., (Editor), A World Religions Reader. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers (1996); pg. 356-357. | table with 3 columns: "Area "; "Adherents "; "Population Percentage "; [Geographical regions in this table: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Northern America, Oceania, and Eurasia] |
| Buddhism | Europe | 193,000 | - | - | - | 1981 | Popenoe, David. Sociology (5th Ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. (1983). [Source: 1981 Britannica Book of the Year]; pg. 433. | Table: Membership in the Major Religions of the World " |
| Buddhism | Europe | 194,500 | 0.03% | - | - | 1982 | Robertson, Ian. Sociology (2nd ed.); New York, NY: Worth Publishers (1981 2nd edition; updated since 1977 1st ed.). [Orig. source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Book of the Year, 1982]; pg. 405. | Table: "Estimated membership of the principal religions of the world " |
| Buddhism | Europe | 1,478,000 | 0.20% | - | - | 1995 | The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1997 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ), [Source: 1996 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year]; pg. 646. | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1995 " |
| Buddhism | Europe | 1,563,000 | 0.21% | - | - | 1996 | The World Almanac & Book of Facts 1998 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ), [Source: 1997 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year]; pg. 654. | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1996 " |
| Buddhism | Europe | 272,000 | 0.05% | - | - | 1996 | *LINK* web site: "The Geography of Religion Website " (assembled by the students of Morehead State University, under Prof. Timothy C. Pitts); web page: "The Geography of Buddhism " (viewed 2 March 1999); Markham, Ian S., (Editor), A World Religions Reader. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers (1996); pg. 356-357. | table with 3 columns: "Area "; "Adherents "; "Population Percentage "; [Geographical regions in this table: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Northern America, Oceania, and Eurasia] |
| Buddhism | Europe | 1,517,000 | 0.21% | - | - | 1998 | World Almanac and Book of Facts 2000. Mahwah, NJ: PRIMEDIA Reference Inc. (1999). [Source: 1999 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year]; pg. 695. | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1998 " |
| Buddhism | Europe | 750,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* web site: "SIM NOW " (Protestant site); web page: "Buddhism - The Middle Way " (viewed 5 March 1999); From World Religions Special Report (1998) by SIMNOW (published quarterly by SIM, 14830 Choate Circle, Charlotte, NC 28273 USA) | "In addition, another 1.3 million Buddhists live in North America, and an estimated 750,000 are in Europe. While most of these outside of Asia are Asian immigrants, some are disillusioned Westerners, seeking enlightenment and escape from dead-end materialism. " |
| Buddhism | Florida | - | 0.10% | - | - | 1990 | Kosmin, B. & S. Lachman. One Nation Under God: Religion in Contemporary American Society; Harmony Books: New York (1993); pg. 88-93. | Table 3-1: Religious Composition of State Populations, 1990 (%). Self-identification of religious loyalty, phone survey w/ 113,000 people; by City U. of New York. |
| Buddhism | Florida | - | 1.00% | - | - | 2001 | *LINK* Kosmin, Barry A.; Egon Mayer; & Ariela Keysar. "American Religious Identity Survey. " 2001. City University of New York. | ARIS: Nationwide phone survey of 50,000 American adults; open-ended question: 'What is your religion, if any?'; Listed in table: "Buddhist " |
| Buddhism | France | 600,000 | - | 200 units |
- | 1997 | *LINK* "Briefly... " in Hinduism Today International (Apr. 1997); original source: Religion Watch | Most of France's 600,000 Buddhists are of Asian origin, "but millions are influenced by Buddhism, particularly in professional and intellectual circles, " said the report.; over 200 Zen, Tibetan and other Buddhist meditation centers have opened since 1960 |
| Buddhism | Georgia, USA | - | 0.10% | - | - | 1990 | Kosmin, B. & S. Lachman. One Nation Under God: Religion in Contemporary American Society; Harmony Books: New York (1993); pg. 88-93. | Table 3-1: Religious Composition of State Populations, 1990 (%). Self-identification of religious loyalty, phone survey w/ 113,000 people; by City U. of New York. |
| Buddhism | Georgia, USA | - | 1.00% | - | - | 2001 | *LINK* Kosmin, Barry A.; Egon Mayer; & Ariela Keysar. "American Religious Identity Survey. " 2001. City University of New York. | ARIS: Nationwide phone survey of 50,000 American adults; open-ended question: 'What is your religion, if any?'; Listed in table: "Buddhist " |
| Buddhism | Germany | 55,000 | - | - | - | 1999 | *LINK* web site: "Religionswissenschaftlicher Medien- und Informationsdienst e.V. " [REMID: Religious Studies Media and Information Service, Marburg, Germany]; web page: "Informationen und Standpunkte " (viewed 2 Aug. 1999). | Table: "Religious communities in Germany: Numbers of members " [data published July, 1999]; Sum of three Buddhist groups: "German Buddhism altogether "; "Asian Buddhism altogether " & Karma Kagyu " |
| Buddhism | Guam | - | 3.00% | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* Nazarene web site: Nazarene World Mission Society; (major source: Johnstone's Operation World) | Table "Religions " |
| Buddhism | Hawaii | - | 33.00% | - | - | 1957 | Chegaray, Jacques. Hawaii: Isle of Dreams; New York: Sterling Publishing Co. (1957); pg. 181. | "To-day Hawaii reckons a third of its population Catholic, one-third Protestant (including Mormons, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Latter-Day Saints, Seventh Day Adventists, Baptists, etc.), and one-third Buddhist (Japanese and Chinese). " |
| Buddhism | Hawaii | - | - | - | - | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 2 - Americas. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998); pg. 225. | "Most Hawaiians are Christian, with a majority of those being Roman Catholic. Buddhists and followers of Shinto religion are the largest minorities in the state. " |
| Buddhism | Hong Kong | 455,000 | 7.00% | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* 1997 Religious Studies News | Recent studies on the numbers of religious residents in the population of Hong Kong (now about 6.5 million) indicate ... Close to 7 percent follow Buddhist traditions, and about 10 percent are Christians. |
| Buddhism | Hong Kong | - | - | - | - | 1998 | Kagda, Falaq. Hong Kong (series: Cultures of the World). New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp. (1998); pg. 67. | "Most Hong Kong Chinese practice a mix of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism... In all, there are more than 600 Buddhist and Taoist temple in the territory. " |
| Buddhism | Idaho | - | 0.20% | - | - | 1990 | Kosmin, B. & S. Lachman. One Nation Under God: Religion in Contemporary American Society; Harmony Books: New York (1993); pg. 88-93. | Table 3-1: Religious Composition of State Populations, 1990 (%). Self-identification of religious loyalty, phone survey w/ 113,000 people; by City U. of New York. |
| Buddhism | Idaho | - | 0.00% | - | - | 2001 | *LINK* Kosmin, Barry A.; Egon Mayer; & Ariela Keysar. "American Religious Identity Survey. " 2001. City University of New York. | ARIS: Nationwide phone survey of 50,000 American adults; open-ended question: 'What is your religion, if any?'; Listed in table: "Buddhist "; Actual % between 0 and 0.5%, so sell was left blank. |
| Buddhism | Illinois | - | 0.10% | - | - | 1990 | Kosmin, B. & S. Lachman. One Nation Under God: Religion in Contemporary American Society; Harmony Books: New York (1993); pg. 88-93. | Table 3-1: Religious Composition of State Populations, 1990 (%). Self-identification of religious loyalty, phone survey w/ 113,000 people; by City U. of New York. |
| Buddhism | Illinois | - | 1.00% | - | - | 2001 | *LINK* Kosmin, Barry A.; Egon Mayer; & Ariela Keysar. "American Religious Identity Survey. " 2001. City University of New York. | ARIS: Nationwide phone survey of 50,000 American adults; open-ended question: 'What is your religion, if any?'; Listed in table: "Buddhist " |
| Buddhism | Illinois: Chicago | - | - | - | - | 1996 | Knoke, William. Bold New World: The Essential Road Map to the Twenty-First Century. New York: Kodansha International (1996); pg. 296. | "American cities like Chicago now have more Hindus than Episcopalians, more Buddhists than Hindus... " |
| Buddhism | India | - | - | - | - | -530 B.C.E. | Stack, Peggy Fletcher. A World of Faith. USA: Signature Books (1998); pg. 7. | "Buddhists. In about 536 B.C. Siddhartha Gautama, a prince in India, left his home in search of wisdom. He spent six years living in a forest and listening to religious teachers... Finally one day he sat under a bodhi tree and... Siddhartha became the Buddha... " |
| Buddhism | India | 441,769 | 0.12% | - | - | 1931 | Ferm, Vergilius (ed). An Encyclopedia of Religion; Westport, CT: Greenwood Press (1976; 1st ed. pub. 1945 by Philosophical Library); pg. 368. | Table: "The latest census gives the following enumeration of the adherents... " [1921 and 1931 figures.] Figure of 12,786,806 given, of which "12,348,037 in Burma. " Burma was then a territory, but "hardly India proper. " |
| Buddhism | India | 233,000 | - | - | - | 1945 | Ferm, Vergilius (ed). An Encyclopedia of Religion; Westport, CT: Greenwood Press (1976; 1st ed. pub. 1945 by Philosophical Library); pg. 96. | "Today there are only 233,000 uninfluential Buddhists in India. " |
| Buddhism | India | 3,256,000 | 0.70% | - | - | 1961 | *LINK* website: Census of India 2001; webpage: Data on Religion; PDF file: "Presentation on Religon " (Office of the Registrar General, India) (viewed 18 April 2005) | Table: Population by religious communities, India - 1961 to 2001; Table: Percentage distribution (unadjusted) of population by religious communities India - 1961 to 2001 Census (without excluding Assam and Jammu & Kashmir [no census conducted there in 1981, 1991]) |
| Buddhism | India | 3,000,000 | - | - | - | 1969 | Hutchinson, John A. Paths of Faith; New York: McGraw-Hill (1969); pg. 589. | "Opposing such trends is the Buddhist revival in central India, where adherents are reliably estimated to number three million people, though critics point to the primariily sociopolitical significance of this form of Buddhism. " |
| Buddhism | India | 3,800,000 | 0.70% | - | - | 1971 | *LINK* web site: Invest India; web page: Religions of India (viewed 16 Jan. 1999) | "The 1971 census produced the following statistics: 453 million Hindu; 61 million Muslim; 14 million Christian; 10 million Sikh; 3.8 million Buddhist; 2.6 million Jain; 2.2 million Parsis, Jews and others " |
| Buddhism | India | 3,812,000 | 0.70% | - | - | 1971 | *LINK* website: Census of India 2001; webpage: Data on Religion; PDF file: "Presentation on Religon " (Office of the Registrar General, India) (viewed 18 April 2005) | Table: Population by religious communities, India - 1961 to 2001; Table: Percentage distribution (unadjusted) of population by religious communities India - 1961 to 2001 Census (without excluding Assam and Jammu & Kashmir [no census conducted there in 1981, 1991]) |
| Buddhism | India | - | 1.00% | - | - | 1972 | Raman, T. A. India; Grand Rapids, Michigan: Fideler Company (1972); pg. 44, 49. | Pg. 44: "The population of the Republic of India is about 570 million... "; Pg. 49: "...today fewer than one out of every hundred Indians is a Buddhist. " |
| Buddhism | India | 3,000,000 | 0.50% | - | - | 1981 | Crim, Keith (ed.). The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions. San Francisco: Harper Collins (1989). Reprint; originally pub. as Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions, 1981; pg. 359. | "Buddhism, which has flourished outside India, has only 3 million adherents in India itself... " |
| Buddhism | India | 4,720,000 | 0.70% | - | - | 1981 | *LINK* website: Census of India 2001; webpage: Data on Religion; PDF file: "Presentation on Religon " (Office of the Registrar General, India) (viewed 18 April 2005) | Table: Population by religious communities, India - 1961 to 2001; Table: Percentage distribution (unadjusted) of population by religious communities India - 1961 to 2001 Census (without excluding Assam and Jammu & Kashmir [no census conducted there in 1981, 1991]) |
| Buddhism | India | 6,000,000 | 0.70% | - | - | 1991 | Neusner, Jacob (ed). World Religions in America: An Introduction; Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press (1994); pg. 179. | Table: "breakdown of major religions in India, according to the population totals of the 1991 census, is roughly as follows " |
| Buddhism | India | 6,387,000 | 0.80% | - | - | 1991 | *LINK* website: Census of India 2001; webpage: Data on Religion; PDF file: "Presentation on Religon " (Office of the Registrar General, India) (viewed 18 April 2005) | Table: Population by religious communities, India - 1961 to 2001; Table: Percentage distribution (unadjusted) of population by religious communities India - 1961 to 2001 Census (without excluding Assam and Jammu & Kashmir [no census conducted there in 1981, 1991]) |
| Buddhism | India | - | 1.00% | - | - | 1992 | Goring, Rosemary (ed). Larousse Dictionary of Beliefs & Religions (Larousse: 1994); pg. 581-584. | Table: "Population Distribution of Major Beliefs "; "Figures have been compiled from the most accurate recent available information and are in most cases correct to the nearest 1% " |
| Buddhism | India | 7,000,000 | - | - | - | 1996 | 1997 Britannica Book of the Year; pg. 781-783. | Table: "Religion ": Divided by nations, with 2 columns: "Religious affiliation " & "1996 pop. " [of that religion]. Based on best avail. figures, whether census data, membership figures or estimates by analysts, as % of est. 1996 midyear pop. |
| Buddhism | India | 7,000,000 | - | - | - | 1997 | Ash, Russell. The Top 10 of Everything, DK Publishing, Inc.: New York (1997); pg. 160-161. | List: "Top 10 Largest Buddhist Populations in the World "; (Rank: 10) |
| Buddhism | India | 6,767,482 | 0.70% | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* CIA World Factbook web site (viewed Aug. 1998) | Hindu 80%, Muslim 14%, Christian 2.4%, Sikh 2%, Buddhist 0.7%, Jains 0.5%, other 0.4%; Total Population: 966,783,171. |
| Buddhism | India | 6,650,000 | 0.70% | - | - | 1997 | Russell, Malcom B. The Middle East and South Asia 1997 (The World Today Series). Harpers Ferry, West Virginia: Stryker-Post Publications (1997); pg. 77. | Estimates of % of population in principal religions, & est. 1997 total pop. |
| Buddhism | India | 8,340,240 | - | - | - | 1998 | Ash, Russell. The Top 10 of Everything 1999. New York: DK Publishing (1998); pg. 76. | Table: "Top 10 Largest Buddhist Populations in the World "; Rank: #8 |
| Buddhism | India | 6,580,000 | 0.70% | - | - | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 3 - Asia & Oceania. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998); pg. 287. | "Location: India; Population: About 940 million; Religion: Hinduism (80%); Islam (14%); Christianity (2.4%); Sikhism (2%); Buddhism (0.7%); Jainism (0.5%)... " |
| Buddhism | India | 6,700,000 | 0.70% | - | - | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 3 - Asia & Oceania. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998); pg. 133. | "There are some 6.7 million Buddhists in India, amounting to a mere 0.7% of the population. Found mainly in central India, many are recent converts to the religion and have been named 'neo-Buddhists.' Buddhists are also present in the northern mountains that fringe the Indian subcontinent. These are mostly followers of the Tibetan form of the religion, which is also known as Lamaism. " |
| Buddhism | India | 7,955,207 | 0.77% | - | - | 2001 | *LINK* website: Census of India 2001; webpage: Data on Religion (Office of the Registrar General, India) (viewed 18 April 2005) | Census 2001 data table: Religion |
| Buddhism | India | 7,955,000 | 0.80% | - | - | 2001 | *LINK* website: Census of India 2001; webpage: Data on Religion; PDF file: "Presentation on Religon " (Office of the Registrar General, India) (viewed 18 April 2005) | Table: Population by religious communities, India - 1961 to 2001; Table: Percentage distribution (unadjusted) of population by religious communities India - 1961 to 2001 Census (without excluding Assam and Jammu & Kashmir [no census conducted there in 1981, 1991]) |
| Buddhism | India: Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 421 | 0.12% | - | - | 2001 | *LINK* website: Census of India 2001; webpage: Data on Religion (Office of the Registrar General, India) (viewed 18 April 2005) | Census 2001 data table: Religion |
| Buddhism | India: Andhra Pradesh | 22,153 | 0.03% | - | - | 1991 | *LINK* web site: "Mission India " | Table: "Religion 1991 " [based on census] |
| Buddhism | India: Andhra Pradesh | 32,037 | 0.04% | - | - | 2001 | *LINK* website: Census of India 2001; webpage: Data on Religion (Office of the Registrar General, India) (viewed 18 April 2005) | Census 2001 data table: Religion |
| Buddhism | India: Arunachal Pradesh | 111,372 | 12.88% | - | - | 1991 | *LINK* web site: "Mission India " | Table: "Religion 1991 " [based on census] |
| Buddhism | India: Arunachal Pradesh | 143,028 | 13.03% | - | - | 2001 | *LINK* website: Census of India 2001; webpage: Data on Religion (Office of the Registrar General, India) (viewed 18 April 2005) | Census 2001 data table: Religion |
| Buddhism | India: Assam | 64,008 | 0.29% | - | - | 1991 | *LINK* web site: "Mission India " | Table: "Religion 1991 " [based on census] |
| Buddhism | India: Assam | 51,029 | 0.19% | - | - | 2001 | *LINK* website: Census of India 2001; webpage: Data on Religion (Office of the Registrar General, India) (viewed 18 April 2005) | Census 2001 data table: Religion |
