Buddhism by country - wikipedia Buddhism by country Percentage of Buddhists by country, according to the Pew Research Center. Buddhism is a religion practiced by an estimated 488 million in the world, 495 million, or 535 million people as of the 2010s, representing 9 % to 10 % of the world 's total population. China is the country with the largest population of Buddhists, approximately 244 million or 18.2 % of its total population. They are mostly followers of Chinese schools of Mahayana, making this the largest body of Buddhist traditions. Mahayana, also practiced in broader East Asia, is followed by over half of the world 's Buddhists. The second largest body of Buddhist schools is Theravada, mostly followed in Southeast Asia. The third and smallest body of schools, Vajrayana, is followed mostly in Tibet, the Himalayan region, Mongolia and parts of Russia, but is disseminated throughout the world. According to a demographic analysis reported by Peter Harvey ( 2013 ) : Eastern Buddhism ( Mahayana ) has 360 million adherents ; Southern Buddhism ( Theravada ) has 150 million adherents ; and Northern Buddhism ( Vajrayana ) has 18.2 million adherents. Seven million additional Buddhists are found outside Asia. Contents 1 List of countries with largest Buddhist proportion 2 By country 3 By region 4 Ten countries with the largest Buddhist populations 5 See also 6 External links 7 References List of countries with largest Buddhist proportion There are over 10 countries with the highest Buddhist percentage : Buddhism by percentange as of 2010 Country Estimated Buddhist population % of total Buddhist in country Cambodia 13,701,660 96.90 % Thailand 64,419,840 93.20 % Myanmar 48,415,960 87.90 % Bhutan 563,000 74.70 % Sri Lanka 14,222,844 70.2 % Laos 4,092,000 66.00 % Mongolia 1,520,760 55.1 % Japan 45,820,000 36.2 % Taiwan 8,000,000 35 % Singapore 1,725,510 33.90 % South Korea 11,050,000 22 % Malaysia 5,620,483 19.8 % China 244,130,000 18.2 % Vietnam 14,380,000 16.4 % By country Population country Country / Territory Population ( 2013 ) % Buddhist : 1. Pew, 2. ARDA. Number of Buddhists Afghanistan 24,108,077 < 0.1 % Algeria 38,087,812 < 0.1 % American Samoa 26,719 0.3 % Angola 25,789,024 < 0.1 % Argentina 42,610,981 < 0.1 % Aruba 109,153 0.1 % Australia 22,262,501 2.7 % 528,977 Austria 8,629,519 0.2 % Bahamas 319,031 < 0.1 % Bahrain 1,281,332 2.5 % Bangladesh 159,654,860 0.5 % Barbados 288,725 < 0.1 % Belarus 9,625,888 < 0.1 % Belgium 10,444,268 0.2 % Belize 324,528 0.5 % Bermuda 69,467 0.5 % Bhutan 725,296 74.7 % 563,000 Bolivia 10,461,053 < 0.1 % Botswana 2,127,825 < 0.1 % Brazil 201,009,622 0.1 % Brunei 415,717 8.6 % Bulgaria 6,981,642 < 0.1 % Burkina Faso 17,812,961 < 0.1 % Burma ( Myanmar ) 55,167,330 87.9 % 48,415,960 Cambodia 15,205,539 96.9 % 13,701,660 Cameroon 20,549,221 < 0.1 % Canada 34,568,211 0.8 % Chad 11,193,452 < 0.1 % Chile 17,216,945 < 0.1 % China 1,349,585,838 18.2 % 244,130,000 Christmas Island 1,513 < 0.1 % Colombia 45,745,783 < 0.1 % Democratic Republic of the Congo 75,507,308 < 0.1 % Republic of the Congo 4,492,689 < 0.1 % Costa Rica 4,695,942 < 0.1 % Côte d'Ivoire 22,400,835 < 0.1 % Croatia 4,475,611 < 0.1 % Cuba 11,394,043 < 0.1 % Curaçao 146,836 Cyprus 1,155,403 0.2 % Czech Republic 10,162,921 < 0.1 % Denmark 5,556,452 0.2 % Dominica 73,286 0.1 % Dominican Republic 10,219,630 < 0.1 % East Timor 1,172,390 Ecuador 15,439,429 < 0.1 % Egypt 85,294,388 < 0.1 % El Salvador 6,108,590 < 0.1 % Estonia 1,266,375 < 0.1 % Ethiopia 93,877,025 < 0.1 % Falkland Islands 3,140 < 0.1 % Federated States of Micronesia 106,104 0.4 % Fiji 896,758 < 0.1 % Finland 5,266,114 < 0.1 % France 65,951,611 0.5 % French Guiana 239,450 < 0.1 % French Polynesia 277,293 < 0.1 % Germany 81,147,265 0.3 % Ghana 22,931,299 < 0.1 % Greece 10,772,967 < 0.1 % Guam 160,378 1.1 % Guatemala 14,373,472 < 0.1 % Guinea 11,176,026 < 0.1 % Guyana 739,903 < 0.1 % Haiti 9,893,934 < 0.1 % Honduras 8,448,465 0.1 % Hong Kong 7,182,724 13.2 % Hungary 9,939,470 < 0.1 % Iceland 315,281 0.4 % India 1,326,987,437 0.8 % 9,250,000 Indonesia 251,160,124 Iran 79,853,900 < 0.1 % Iraq 31,858,481 < 0.1 % Ireland 4,775,982 Israel 7,707,042 0.2 % Italy 61,482,297 0.2 % Jamaica 2,909,714 < 0.1 % Japan 127,253,075 36.2 % 45,820,000 Jordan 6,482,081 0.4 % Kazakhstan 17,736,896 0.2 % Kenya 44,037,656 < 0.1 % North Korea 24,720,407 1.5 % South Korea 48,955,203 22.9 % 11,050,000 Kuwait 2,695,316 2.8 % Kyrgyzstan 5,548,042 < 0.1 % Laos 6,695,166 66.1 % 4,092,000 Latvia 2,178,443 < 0.1 % Lebanon 4,131,583 0.2 % Lesotho 1,936,181 < 0.1 % Liberia 3,989,703 < 0.1 % Libya 6,002,347 0.3 % Liechtenstein 37,009 < 0.1 % Lithuania 3,515,858 < 0.1 % Luxembourg 514,862 < 0.1 % Macau 583,003 17.3 % Macedonia 2,087,171 < 0.1 % Madagascar 22,599,098 < 0.1 % Malawi 16,777,547 < 0.1 % Malaysia 31,112,021 19.8 % 5,620,483 Maldives 393,988 0.6 % Mali 15,968,882 < 0.1 % Malta 411,277 < 0.1 % Martinique 403,795 < 0.1 % Mauritius 1,322,238 < 0.1 % Mexico 116,220,947 < 0.1 % Mongolia 3,226,516 55.1 % 1,520,760 Montenegro 653,474 < 0.1 % Morocco 32,649,130 < 0.1 % Mozambique 24,096,669 < 0.1 % Namibia 2,182,852 < 0.1 % Nauru 9,434 1.1 % Nepal 30,430,267 10.3 % Netherlands 16,805,037 0.2 % New Caledonia 264,022 0.6 % New Zealand 4,365,113 1.6 % Nicaragua 5,788,531 < 0.1 % Nigeria 174,507,539 < 0.1 % Northern Mariana Islands 51,170 10.6 % Norway 4,722,701 0.6 % Oman 3,154,134 0.8 % Pakistan 193,238,868 < 0.1 % Palau 21,108 0.8 % Palestine 4,293,313 < 0.1 % Panama 3,559,408 0.2 % Papua New Guinea 6,431,902 < 0.1 % Paraguay 6,623,252 < 0.1 % Peru 29,849,303 0.2 % Philippines 98,215,000 < 0.1 % 46,558 Poland 38,383,809 < 0.1 % Portugal 10,799,270 0.6 % Puerto Rico 3,674,209 0.3 % Qatar 2,042,444 3.1 % Réunion 839,500 0.2 % Romania 21,790,479 < 0.1 % Russia 142,500,482 0.1 % Saudi Arabia 26,939,583 Senegal 12,521,851 0.3 % Serbia 7,450,265 < 0.1 % Seychelles 90,846 < 0.1 % Sierra Leone 5,612,685 Singapore 5,460,302 33.9 % Slovakia 5,488,339 < 0.1 % Slovenia 1,992,690 < 0.1 % Solomon Islands 597,248 0.3 % South Africa 48,601,098 0.2 % Spain 47,370,542 < 0.1 % Sri Lanka 21,675,648 69.3 % 14,222,844 Sudan 34,847,910 < 0.1 % Suriname 566,846 0.6 % Swaziland 1,403,362 < 0.1 % Sweden 9,119,423 0.4 % Switzerland 7,996,026 0.4 % Taiwan 23,299,716 21.3 % Tajikistan 7,910,041 < 0.1 % Tanzania 48,261,942 < 0.1 % Thailand 67,448,120 93.2 % 64,420,000 Togo 7,154,237 < 0.1 % Tonga 106,322 Tunisia 10,835,873 < 0.1 % Trinidad and Tobago 1,225,225 0.3 % Turkey 80,694,485 < 0.1 % Turkmenistan 5,113,040 < 0.1 % Tuvalu 10,698 < 0.1 % Uganda 34,758,809 < 0.1 % Ukraine 44,573,205 < 0.1 % United Arab Emirates 5,473,972 2 % United Kingdom 63,395,574 0.4 % United States 316,668,567 1.2 % 3,800,023 Uruguay 3,324,460 < 0.1 % US Virgin Islands 104,737 < 0.1 % Uzbekistan 28,661,637 < 0.1 % Vanuatu 261,565 < 0.1 % Venezuela 28,459,085 < 0.1 % Vietnam 92,477,857 16.4 % 14,380,000 Yemen 25,408,288 < 0.1 % Zambia 14,222,233 < 0.1 % Zimbabwe 13,182,908 < 0.1 % TOTAL 7,095,217,980 Pew : 7.1 % Pew : 487,540,000 By region Buddhism by region in 2010 Region Estimated total population Estimated Buddhist population % Asia - Pacific 4,054,990,000 481,290,000 11.9 % North America 344,530,000 3,860,000 1.1 % Europe 742,550,000 1,330,000 0.2 % Middle East - North Africa 341,020,000 500,000 0.1 % Latin America - Caribbean 590,080,000 410,000 < 0.1 % Total 6,895,890,000 487,540,000 7.1 % Ten countries with the largest Buddhist populations Countries with the largest Buddhist populations as of 2010 Country Estimated Buddhist population % of the total population of the country % of world Buddhist population China 244,130,000 18.2 % 46.4 % Thailand 64,420,000 93.2 % 12.2 % Japan 45,820,000 36.2 % 9.4 % Myanmar 38,410,000 87.90 % 7.3 % Sri Lanka 14,450,000 69.3 % 2.8 % Vietnam 14,380,000 16.4 % 2.7 % Cambodia 13,690,000 96.9 % 2.9 % South Korea 11,050,000 22.9 % 2.1 % India 9,250,000 0.8 % 1.8 % Malaysia 5,010,000 19.8 % 1 % Subtotal for the ten countries 499,465,520 18.1 % 94.9 % Subtotal for the rest of the world 26,920,000 0.7 % 5.1 % World total 526,373,000 7.3 % 100 % note : Exact number of followers when calculating Buddhists varies because Buddhism is often mixed with the native East Asian religions in their respective countries for example in Japan the number of Buddhists when calculating including the Shintoists would ramp the percentage of Buddhists in Japan from 67 % to > 98 %. See also Neo-Confucianism East Asian Buddhism Buddhism and Eastern religions Other religions : Hinduism by country Islam by country Judaism by country Christianity by country Sikhism by country Bahá'í statistics General : List of religious populations Religions by country External links The US State Department 's International Religious Freedom Report 2010 CIA FactBook adherents.com References ^ Jump up to : Pew Research Center, Global Religious Landscape : Buddhists. Jump up ^ Johnson, Todd M. ; Grim, Brian J. ( 2013 ). The World 's Religions in Figures : An Introduction to International Religious Demography ( PDF ). Hoboken, NJ : Wiley - Blackwell. pp. 34 -- 37. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013. ^ Jump up to : Harvey, Peter ( 2013 ). An Introduction to Buddhism : Teachings, History and Practices ( 2nd ed. ). Cambridge, UK : Cambridge University Press. p. 5. ISBN 9780521676748. Retrieved 2 September 2013. Jump up ^ Pew Research Center 's Forum on Religion & Public Life ( December 2012 ), The Global Religious Landscape : A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World 's Major Religious Groups as of 2010 ( PDF ), Pew Research Center, retrieved 9 October 2013 Jump up ^ Department of Census and Statistics, The Census of Population and Housing of Sri Lanka - 2011 Jump up ^ ( 1 ) Jump up ^ ( 2 ) Jump up ^ CIA 's The World Factbook : Populations as of July 2013 Jump up ^ http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/philippines/religious_demography#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2010 Jump up ^ https://psa.gov.ph/sites/default/files/2015%20PSY%20PDF.pdf Jump up ^ `` Buddhism in Philippines, Guide to Philippines Buddhism, Introduction to Philippines Buddhism, Philippines Buddhism Travel ''. Jump up ^ http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/philippines/religious_demography#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2010 Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 9 June 2015. Retrieved 2015 - 08 - 06. Buddhism topics Glossary Index Outline Foundations Three Jewels Buddha Dharma Sangha Four Noble Truths Noble Eightfold Path Nirvana Middle Way The Buddha Tathāgata Birthday Four sights Physical characteristics Footprint Relics Iconography in Laos and Thailand Films Miracles Family Suddhodāna ( father ) Māyā ( mother ) Mahapajapati Gotamī ( aunt, adoptive mother ) Yasodhara ( wife ) Rāhula ( son ) Ānanda ( cousin ) Devadatta ( cousin ) Places where the Buddha stayed Buddha in world religions Key concepts Avidyā ( Ignorance ) Bardo Bodhicitta Bodhisattva Buddha - nature Dhamma theory Dharma Enlightenment Five hindrances Indriya Karma Kleshas Mind Stream Parinirvana Pratītyasamutpāda Rebirth Saṃsāra Saṅkhāra Skandha Śūnyatā Taṇhā ( Craving ) Tathātā Ten Fetters Three marks of existence Impermanence Dukkha Anatta Two truths doctrine Cosmology Ten spiritual realms Six realms Deva ( Buddhism ) Human realm Asura realm Hungry Ghost realm Animal realm Hell Three planes of existence Practices Bhavana Bodhipakkhiyādhammā Brahmavihara Mettā Karuṇā Mudita Upekkha Buddhābhiseka Dāna Devotion Dhyāna Faith Five Strengths Iddhipada Meditation Mantras Kammaṭṭhāna Recollection Smarana Anapanasati Samatha Vipassanā ( Vipassana movement ) Shikantaza Zazen Kōan Mandala Tonglen Tantra Tertön Terma Merit Mindfulness Satipatthana Nekkhamma Pāramitā Paritta Puja Offerings Prostration Chanting Refuge Satya Sacca Seven Factors of Enlightenment Sati Dhamma vicaya Pīti Passaddhi Śīla Five Precepts Bodhisattva vow Prātimokṣa Threefold Training Śīla Samadhi Prajñā Vīrya Four Right Exertions Nirvana Bodhi Bodhisattva Buddhahood Pratyekabuddha Four stages of enlightenment Sotāpanna Sakadagami Anāgāmi Arhat Monasticism Bhikkhu Bhikkhuni Śrāmaṇera Śrāmaṇerī Anagarika Ajahn Sayadaw Zen master Rōshi Lama Rinpoche Geshe Tulku Householder Upāsaka and Upāsikā Śrāvaka The ten principal disciples Shaolin Monastery Major figures Gautama Buddha Kaundinya Assaji Sāriputta Mahamoggallāna Mulian Ānanda Mahākassapa Anuruddha Mahākaccana Nanda Subhuti Punna Upali Mahapajapati Gotamī Khema Uppalavanna Asita Channa Yasa Buddhaghoṣa Nagasena Angulimala Bodhidharma Nagarjuna Asanga Vasubandhu Atiśa Padmasambhava Nichiren Songtsen Gampo Emperor Wen of Sui Dalai Lama Panchen Lama Karmapa Shamarpa Naropa Xuanzang Zhiyi Texts Tripiṭaka Madhyamakālaṃkāra Mahayana sutras Pāli Canon Chinese Buddhist canon Tibetan Buddhist canon Branches Theravada Mahayana Chan Buddhism Zen Seon Thiền Pure Land Tiantai Nichiren Madhyamaka Yogachara Navayana Vajrayana Tibetan Shingon Dzogchen Early Buddhist schools Pre-sectarian Buddhism Basic points unifying Theravāda and Mahāyāna Countries Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan Cambodia China India Indonesia Japan Korea Laos Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Myanmar Nepal Pakistan Philippines Russia Kalmykia Buryatia Singapore Sri Lanka Taiwan Thailand Tibet Vietnam Middle East Iran Western countries Argentina Australia Brazil France United Kingdom United States Venezuela History Timeline Ashoka Buddhist councils History of Buddhism in India Decline of Buddhism in India Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution Greco - Buddhism Buddhism and the Roman world Buddhism in the West Silk Road transmission of Buddhism Persecution of Buddhists Banishment of Buddhist monks from Nepal Buddhist crisis Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism Buddhist modernism Vipassana movement 969 Movement Women in Buddhism Philosophy Abhidharma Atomism Buddhology Creator Economics Eight Consciousnesses Engaged Buddhism Eschatology Ethics Evolution Humanism Logic Reality Secular Buddhism Socialism The unanswered questions Culture Architecture Temple Vihara Wat Stupa Pagoda Candi Dzong architecture Japanese Buddhist architecture Korean Buddhist temples Thai temple art and architecture Tibetan Buddhist architecture Art Greco - Buddhist Bodhi Tree Budai Buddharupa Calendar Cuisine Funeral Holidays Vesak Uposatha Magha Puja Asalha Puja Vassa Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi Kasaya Mahabodhi Temple Mantra Om mani padme hum Mudra Music Pilgrimage Lumbini Maya Devi Temple Bodh Gaya Sarnath Kushinagar Poetry Prayer beads Prayer wheel Symbolism Dharmachakra Flag Bhavacakra Swastika Thangka Temple of the Tooth Vegetarianism Miscellaneous Abhijñā Amitābha Avalokiteśvara Guanyin Brahmā Dhammapada Dharma talk Hinayana Kalpa Koliya Lineage Maitreya Māra Ṛddhi Sacred languages Pali Sanskrit Siddhi Sutra Vinaya Comparison Bahá'í Faith Christianity Influences Comparison East Asian religions Gnosticism Hinduism Jainism Judaism Psychology Science Theosophy Violence Western philosophy Lists Bodhisattvas Books Buddhas named Buddhists Suttas Temples Portal Buddhism by country Buddhism in Africa Sovereign states Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde ( Cabo Verde ) Central African Republic Chad Comoros Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea - Bissau Ivory Coast ( Côte d'Ivoire ) Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda São Tomé and Príncipe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa South Sudan Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe States with limited recognition Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic Somaliland Dependencies and other territories Canary Islands / Ceuta / Melilla / ( see also plazas de soberanía ) ( Spain ) Madeira ( Portugal ) Mayotte / Réunion ( France ) Saint Helena / Ascension Island / Tristan da Cunha ( United Kingdom ) Buddhism in Asia Sovereign states Afghanistan Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Bhutan Brunei Cambodia China Cyprus East Timor ( Timor - Leste ) Egypt Georgia India Indonesia Iran Iraq Israel Japan Jordan Kazakhstan North Korea South Korea Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Lebanon Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Myanmar Nepal Oman Pakistan Philippines Qatar Russia Saudi Arabia Singapore Sri Lanka Syria Tajikistan Thailand Turkey Turkmenistan United Arab Emirates Uzbekistan Vietnam Yemen States with limited recognition Abkhazia Artsakh Northern Cyprus Palestine South Ossetia Taiwan Dependencies and other territories British Indian Ocean Territory Christmas Island Cocos ( Keeling ) Islands Hong Kong Macau Buddhism in Europe Sovereign states Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom States with limited recognition Abkhazia Artsakh Northern Cyprus South Ossetia Transnistria Buddhism in North America Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States Dependencies and other territories Anguilla Aruba Bermuda Bonaire British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Greenland Guadeloupe Martinique Montserrat Puerto Rico Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten Turks and Caicos Islands United States Virgin Islands Buddhism in South America Sovereign states Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Guyana Paraguay Peru Suriname Uruguay Venezuela Dependencies and other territories Falkland Islands French Guiana South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Religions by country Bahá'í Faith Buddhism Christianity Catholic Church Orthodoxy Protestantism Hinduism Islam Ahmadiyya Judaism Sikhism Zoroastrian Lists of countries by religious rankings Buddhism Christianity Catholic Church Latter - day Saints Orthodoxy Protestantism Hinduism Importance of religion Irreligion Islam Ahmadiyya Judaism Judaism type Sikhism Zoroastrianism List of international rankings List of top international rankings by country Lists by country Wikimedia Commons has media related to Buddhism by country. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Buddhism_by_country&oldid=825716223 '' Categories : Buddhism by country Hidden categories : Use dmy dates from July 2013 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español فارسی Français हिन्दी Ilokano Italiano Magyar मराठी မြန်မာဘာသာ Nederlands Português Русский தமிழ் اردو Tiếng Việt Edit links This page was last edited on 15 February 2018, at 00 : 13. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what percentage of the world population are buddhist
Answer: 9% to 10%