Pages - Menu

Pages

Monday, August 29, 2011

Buddhist Population Of The World

The number of Buddhists around the world is grossly underestimated. The statistics found in nearly all encyclopedias and almanacs place the number of Buddhists at approximately 500 million. This figure completely ignores over one billion Chinese people who live in the People's Republic of China. China is officially communist (although many free market conditions are already in place) and does not keep records on religion statistics of adherents. Also, many western reference sources refuse to accept that a person can belong to more than one religion. In Asia it is quite common for one person to have two, three, or more religions. In China, it is common for a family to have a shrine in their home with statues and icons from Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism.

Currently there are about 1.3 billion Chinese living in the People's Republic. Surveys (Gach-Alpha Books, U.S. State Dept. report on China, Global Center for the Study of Contemporary China, BBC News, China Daily, and a report by Christian missionaries in China) have found that about 8% to 91% identify with Buddhism as one of their religions. If we use a percent near the upper end of this estimate, of about 80% it works out to about 1.1 billion Chinese Buddhists. To ignore over one billion people as if they do not count is a terrible mis-count and very misleading in the reporting of adherents. A Chinese Buddhist forum (bskk.com) currently has over 150,000 registered members and over 4 million posts, which is more than ten times the amount of the largest English language Buddhist forum (which also has Chinese Buddhists participating in the discussions). But to be fair, a more conservative estimate is also shown (see below).

Here are some studies that have analyzed or counted the number of Buddhists in China and the percentage found in the study:


U.S. State Dept. report Approx. 8% to 40% (the report lists 8% but then states that there are "hundreds of millions" of Chinese who practice various religions together, which includes Buddhism).
BBC News, 2007 Approx. 16% to 23%
ChinaDaily.com, 2007 Approx. 16% to 21%
Seanetwork.org article by Dr. A. Smith, 2004 Approx. 50% to 80%
Global Center for the Study of Contemporary China Approx. 23% to 98% (the report lists 23% but states that as many as 98% follow more than one religion, which includes Buddhism).
Buddhist Channel article, July 7, 2009 Buddhism thrives in China
Gach, Alpha Books, 2001 Approx. 91%

The counting of Buddhists in America is also a little problematic since the U.S. Census Bureau does not ask religious affiliation. There are studies that suggest the percentage of Buddhists in America is as low as 0.5% and others that suggest over 3%. Some of the lower estimates claimed that about half of all Buddhists in America are white, European ancestry, which shows that the study was flawed. Any personal observation survey of Buddhism in America by attending meditation groups and temples will demonstrate that the vast majority of Buddhists in the U.S. are still predominantly Asian or Asian ancestry. Immigration to the U.S. from Asia has been very high due to favorable economic opportunities and more open immigration for those with technical skills, such as in the medical fields. Immigration from Asia ranges from about 0.5 million to 7 million per year and certainly a sizeable percentage of these immigrants are Buddhist. See Asian immigration to the US

Some other reports at the low end are going by official statistics from Buddhist organizations that count and in many of these estimates it is based on counting only one group, The Buddhist Churches of America (which is one of the few that counts their members). The BCA is just one sect inside the Pure Land school of Buddhism, which is a further sub-set of Mahayana, which is a sub-set of Buddhism in general. As far back as 1995 a study showed that 1.6% of the U.S. is Buddhist. Only a few years later the number of Buddhist centers doubled, which suggests that the actual percent of Americans who are Buddhist is from 2% to 4%. See: R. Baumann, Univ. of Hannover Professor C. Prebish, Ph.D. has stated that 2% of the U.S. population is Buddhist and that most, about 80% of American Buddhists are of Asian descent (about 4.8 million out of 6 million American Buddhists), See: Utah State Univ., 2007
A conservative estimate of 2% is used for the number of Buddhists in America in the table below.

March 2007 update: Due to the debates and discussions that have occured, some reference books and encyclopedias are finally recognizing that there are Buddhists in China. Some have stated that the survey suggesting that 91% are Buddhist is exaggerated, but at least some are now showing a sizeable percentage, such as over 60% over at wikipedia. Therefore, included below is a liberal estimate using 80% and a more conservative estimate using a 50% figure.

Here is the Wikipedia estimate, which is compatible to the numbers shown here: Wikipedia List of religious populations

July 2009 update: The percentage and numbers for Buddhists in India has increased dramatically over recent years because there have many recent mass conversions of the dalit (untouchables) from Hinduism to Buddhism. See one of several mass conversions of over 50,000 and also this report: Newsweek 2008 India has 3.25% Buddhist

See also this article at The Dhamma encyclopedia for more statistics, links and sources: The appeal of Buddhism

The following is the more accurate listing of Buddhists around the world with the inclusion of the above-mentioned people (percentage of the total population who are Buddhist is shown in parentheses):
China, liberal estimate (80.00%) 1,070,893,447
China, conservative estimate (50.00%) 669,308,405
Japan (96.00%) 122,022,837
Thailand (95.00%) 62,626,649
India (3.25%) 37,913,134
Sri Lanka (70.00%) 14,933,050
Burma (90.00%) 43,323,967
Cambodia (95.00%) 13,769,578
Laos (75.00%) 5,126,207
Other Asian countries (16.00%) 213,492,875
Total Buddhists in Asia, liberal estimate 1,584,101,744
Total Buddhists in Asia, conservative estimate 1,182,516,701

USA (2.00%) 6,135,071
Canada and N. Amer. islands (1.10%) 368,447
Total Buddhists in N. America 6,503,518

Germany (1.10%) 905,657
France (1.20%) 773,215
United Kingdom (1.20%) 733,395
Other European countries (0.15%) 785,700
Total Buddhists in Europe 3,197,966

Total Buddhists in Latin America and S. America (0.15%) 868,929

Total Buddhists in Australia and Oceania (1.80%) 618,752

Total Buddhists in Africa (0.02%) 194,550
_______________________________________________________
Total Buddhists in the world, liberal estimate 1,595,485,458
(about 1.6 billion)
Total Buddhists in the world, conservative estimate 1,193,900,416
(about 1.2 billion

The current number of Buddhists is therefore, about 1.2 to 1.6 billion which places it nearly equal with each of the two largest religions of Christianity and Islam. Even with the conservative estimate, it is still much higher than the 300 to 500 million still being placed in many references. It is important to know the true number to provide an accurate history and to know that we are not “alone” in our thinking and our practice. What we really strive for is not more Buddhists, but more “buddhas” (enlightened ones) so that we can have true peace inside and for the world.

7 comments:

  1. ==Total Buddhist population in the World==


    Buddhist population in China is: 1219,149,600.
    Buddhist population in Japan is: 122, 933, 785.
    Buddhist population in Vietnam is: 74, 664, 000
    Buddhist population in Thailand is: 61, 943, 563
    Buddhist population in Myanmar is: 53, 649, 200
    Population of Buddhists in China+Japan+Vietnam+Thailand+Myanmar+other Buddhist countries= 1921, 989, 641

    Christianity
    2.1 billion

    Buddhism
    1.9 billion

    Islam
    1.5 billion

    Hinduism
    1.1 billion



    So Buddhism is the SECOND Largest Religious people in the World.

    ReplyDelete
  2. " http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-top-ten/world-top-ten-countries-with-largest-buddhist-populations-map.html "

    Top 10 Countries with Largest Buddhist Populations

    RANK Country Buddhist Population
    1 China 102,000,000
    2 Japan 89,650,000
    3 Thailand 55,480,000
    4 Vietnam 49,690,000
    5 Myanmar 41,610,000
    6 Sri Lanka 12,540,000
    7 South Korea 10,920,000
    8 Taiwan 9,150,000
    9 Cambodia 9,130,000
    10 India 7,000,000

    Buddhist Populations in the world 400M ~ 500M

    ReplyDelete
  3. An article originally published at Dhamma Wiki's mother website, TheDhamma.com with the title Buddhists around the World by Dr. David N. Snyder. The complete statistics are shown here:
    Area Percent Buddhist Buddhists
    China, liberal est. 80.00% 1,070,893,447
    China, conservative est. 50.00% 669,308,405
    Japan 96.00% 122,022,837
    Thailand 95.00% 62,626,649
    India 3.25% 37,913,134
    Sri Lanka 70.00% 14,933,050
    Burma 90.00% 43,323,967
    Cambodia 95.00% 13,769,578
    Laos 75.00% 5,126,207
    Other Asian countries 16.00% 213,492,875
    Total Buddhists in Asia, lib. est. 1,584,101,744
    Total Buddhists in Asia, cons. est. 1,182,516,701


    U.S.A. 2.00% 6,135,071
    Canada & N. Am. islands 1.10% 368,447
    Total Buddhists in N. America 6,503,518


    Germany 1.10% 905,657
    France 1.20% 773,215
    United Kingdom 1.20% 733,395
    Other European countries 0.15% 785,700
    Total Buddhists in Europe 3,197,966


    Total Buddhists in Latin America and S. Am. 0.15% 868,929


    Total Buddhists in Australia & Oceania 1.80% 618,752


    Total Buddhists in Africa 0.02% 194,550




    Total Buddhists in the world, liberal est. 1,595,485,458
    Total Buddhists in the world, conservative est. 1,193,900,416

    Approximately 1.2 billion to 1.6 billion Buddhists in the world.

    Last updated: April 2010
    See also

    Theravada Buddhists in the World
    List of Buddhist Records and Trivia
    8 Wonders of the Buddhist World
    The appeal of Buddhism
    Misconceptions about Buddhism

    References

    The Complete Book of Buddha's Lists -- Explained. David N. Snyder, Ph.D., 2006.
    http://www.thedhamma.com/
    U.S. State Dept. report Approx. 8% to 40% for China. (the report lists 8% but then states that there are "hundreds of millions" of Chinese who practice various religions together, which includes Buddhism).
    BBC News, 2007 Approx. 16% to 23% for China.
    ChinaDaily.com, 2007 Approx. 16% to 21% for China.
    Seanetwork.org article by Dr. A. Smith, 2004 Approx. 50% to 80% for China.
    Global Center for the Study of Contemporary China Approx. 23% to 98% for China (the report lists 23% but states that as many as 98% follow more than one religion, which includes Buddhism).
    Buddhist Channel article, July 7, 2009 Buddhism thrives in China
    Gach, Alpha Books, 2001 Approx. 91% for China.
    http://www.pluralism.org/resources/statistics/ 2% to 4% for U.S.
    http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,660203884,00.html
    http://www.daophatngaynay.com/english/world/facts/conversion-manpreet.htm Mass conversion of dalits in India (untouchables converting to Buddhism)
    http://www.newsweek.com/id/117810/page/1 India 3.25% Buddhist
    For a complete list of references and statistics used, see the article at TheDhamma.com website linked at the top.

    ReplyDelete
  4. http://www.pewforum.org/2017/04/05/the-changing-global-religious-landscape/

    ReplyDelete
  5. DENDA RM40,000 PALSUKAN TANDATANGAN [METROTV]

    Jurutera didenda RM40,000 palsu tandatangan berhubung pembinaan bangle

    KUALA LUMPUR: Seorang jurutera sebuah syarikat perunding pembinaan didenda RM40,000 oleh Mahkamah Sesyen di sini hari ini selepas mengaku bersalah atas pertuduhan memalsukan tandatangan pada sebuah dokumen berhubung cadangan pembinaan sebuah banglo.

    Hakim Azura Alwi menjatuhkan hukuman itu ke atas Toh Hwee Sheng, 46, dan memerintahkannya dipenjara enam bulan jika gagal membayar denda itu.

    Toh didakwa dengan curangnya menggunakan suatu dokumen sebagai tulen iaitu sebuah buku ‘Structure Design Calculation’ bertarikh 2 Ogos 2014 berhubung kiraan dan pelan struktur bagi cadangan membina sebuah banglo dua setengah tingkat di atas Lot PT 1, No 1, Jalan 5, Selayang Baru, Mukim Batu, Gombak, Selangor daripada Lieng Consult kepada Datuk Yip Kum Fook iaitu pemilik tanah yang mempunyai sebab untuk mempercayai dokumen itu adalah palsu.

    Tertuduh didakwa melakukan kesalahan itu antara 2 hingga 12 Ogos 2014, di No 2A & B, Jalan 53, Desa Jaya Kepong di sini, mengikut Seksyen 471 Kanun Keseksaan yang boleh dihukum di bawah Seksyen 465 kanun sama yang memperuntukkan hukuman penjara maksimum dua tahun atau denda atau kedua-duanya.

    Pegawai Pendakwa Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) Mohd Aliff Shaharuzaman memohon hukuman setimpal bagi memberi pengajaran kepada tertuduh kerana amalan pemalsuan dan meniru tandatangan pemilik syarikat adalah kesalahan serius dan menjadi barah dalam masyarakat jika tidak ditangani.

    Tertuduh yang tidak diwakili peguam merayu hukuman denda dikenakan ke atasnya dengan jumlah yang minimum kerana dia mempunyai tanggungan termasuk ibu yang berumur 76 tahun.

    “Ini adalah kesalahan pertama dan saya tiada rekod jenayah. Saya amat kesal dan insaf atas kesalahan ini dan berjanji tidak akan mengulanginya lagi, jadi saya mohon hukuman denda minimum tanpa hukuman penjara,” katanya.

    Mengikut fakta kes, pada 2013, Yip Kum Fook iaitu bekas Ahli Majlis Perbandaran Selayang mengarahkan syarikat tertuduh bekerja iaitu Lieng Consult menyediakan Borang A, Kiraan Struktur dan Pelan Struktur bagi cadangan membina sebuah banglo dua setengah tingkat di atas lot tersebut, namun penyediaan dokumen itu tanpa pengetahuan Lieng Wei Ming selaku pemilik syarikat.

    Lieng memaklumkan semua dokumen itu tidak dikeluarkan oleh syarikatnya dan mengesahkan tandatangan pada dokumen itu juga bukan miliknya.

    Selain itu, tertuduh juga menerima wang RM10,000 daripada Yip atas pembayaran kerja yang dilakukan iaitu menyediakan semua dokumen itu dan hasil semakan Bahagian Forensik SPRM mengesahkan tandatangan pada dokumen ‘Structure Design Calculation’ adalah berbeza dengan spesimen tandatangan diambil daripada Lieng. -Bernama

    Kerajaan Malaysia akan memeriksa Yip Kum Fook (peguam dan presiden Samnak Sambodhi atau persatuan Buddha, Taman Desa Jaya, kepong) kerana peguam ini menipu orang di mana-mana......Yip Kum Fook & Associates, Kuala Lumpur... No. 2A & B, Jalan 53, Desa Jaya, Kepong, 52100, Kuala Lumpur, WP Kuala Lumpur

    ReplyDelete
  6. Kepada semua penganut Buddha ...
    YIP KUM FOOK (LAWYER, MCA GOMBAK) menghalau Sami-sami Buddha keluar dari kuil atau SAMNAK SAMBODHI BUDDHIST TEMPLE, Desa Jaya, Kepong, Kuala Lumpur
    Dia menggunakan samseng untuk mengusir Sami-sami Buddha itu dan juga memanggil polis untuk mengganggu Sami-sami Buddha di kuil dan YIP KUM FOOK (LAWYER) tidak menghormati Buddha dan Sami-sami Buddha ……Yip Kum Fook & Associates No. 2A & B, Jalan 53, Desa Jaya, Kepong, 52100, Kuala Lumpur, WP Kuala Lumpur
    Thanks
    Ng, Kepong

    ReplyDelete
  7. Please share and forward to all friends

    We would like to inform everyone about YIP KUM FOOK, president of SAMNAK SAMBODHI BUDDHIST TEMPLE, Taman Desa Jaya, Kepong, YIP KUM FOOK has never embarrassed people about him always lying, cheating, insulting Buddhist teachings, etc.

    Recently, many people talked about his character, before this he was a truck driver who sent furniture everywhere, then he studied law courses at several universities but we did not know he study courses or not because he did not know the law, he cheated people everywhere. and how lawyers can deceive people without fear of the law

    Hope everyone should care about this name YIP KUM FOOK (LAWYER OR MCA GOMBAK CHAIRMAN AND PRESIDENT OF SAMNAK SAMBODHI BUDDHIST TEMPLE), also need to share and forward to all. If you make a mistake, you will lose everything, this man or YIP KUM FOOK is very dangerous and his son (YIP JIUN HANN) is also the most dangerous.

    By KOK MENG, KEPONG



    Sila kongsi dan majukan kepada semua rakan-rakan

    Kami ingin memaklumkan kepada semua tentang YIP KUM FOOK, presiden KUIL BUDDHA SAMNAK SAMBODHI, Taman Desa Jaya, Kepong, YIP KUM FOOK tidak pernah memalukan orang ramai tentang beliau selalu berbohong, menipu, menghina ajaran Buddha, dll.

    Baru-baru ini ramai yang memperkatakan tentang perwatakannya, sebelum ini dia seorang pemandu lori yang menghantar perabot ke mana-mana, kemudian dia belajar kursus undang-undang di beberapa universiti tetapi kita tidak tahu dia belajar kursus atau tidak kerana dia tidak tahu undang-undang, dia menipu orang. dimana - mana. dan bagaimana peguam boleh menipu orang tanpa rasa takut pada undang-undang

    Harap semua orang harus mengambil berat tentang nama ini YIP KUM FOOK (PEGUAM ATAU MCA GOMBAK PENGERUSI DAN PRESIDEN KUIL BUDDHA SAMNAK SAMBODHI), juga perlu dikongsi dan dimajukan kepada semua. Jika tersilap langkah, anda akan kehilangan segala-galanya, lelaki atau YIP KUM FOOK ini sangat bahaya dan anaknya (YIP JIUN HANN) juga yang paling bahaya.

    Oleh KOK MENG, KEPONG

    ReplyDelete