The Enduring Legacy of the Buddha — Demography, Generations, and a Global Future

More than twenty-five centuries after Siddhārtha Gautama walked the dusty roads of northern India, the Buddha’s legacy is legible not only in monasteries, sutras, artworks, and ethical teachings, but also in population data: who calls themselves Buddhist, where they live, how old they are, whether younger generations are stepping forward, and how far the Dharma travels through migration and conversion. These numbers don’t “define” Buddhism—practice often exceeds what censuses can detect—but they do reveal how the tradition is changing, where it remains strong, and where it is quietly reconfiguring.

1) How many Buddhists are there—and where?

The cleanest snapshot we have comes from a major 2025 analysis by the Pew Research Center, which compiles censuses and large surveys across 201 countries. Pew estimates 324 million Buddhists in 2020, down from 343 million in 2010—a 5% absolute decline over the decade. In that same period, the world’s total population grew by roughly 13%, so Buddhism’s share slipped to about 4.1% of humanity. Crucially, Asia–Pacific still accounts for about 98% of all Buddhists, reflecting the tradition’s enduring regional heartlands even as diasporas grow in North America and Europe. (Pew Research Center)

Buddhists cluster overwhelmingly in a handful of countries. By absolute numbers, recent tallies now put Thailand in the global lead with around 68 million Buddhists (≈94%), narrowly ahead of China—whose sheer population means even a modest percentage translates into tens of millions (about 53 million, ≈4%). Myanmar, Japan, and Vietnam follow as major centres. Those top ten countries together hold over nine-tenths of all the world’s Buddhists, underlining how concentrated the tradition remains. (ZENIT - English)

Where is Buddhism the majority faith? By share of population, the leaders are unambiguous: Cambodia (~97%), Thailand (~94%), Myanmar (~89%), Bhutan (~75%), Sri Lanka (~70%), Laos (~64%), and Mongolia (~51%). The near-universal affiliation in Cambodia is independently attested by its 2019 national census, which reports 97.1% Buddhist, confirming the country as the most Buddhist nation on earth by proportion. (nis.gov.kh)

2) Why did the global total fall?

Three forces dominate the decade-on-decade picture:

Ageing and low fertility in East Asia. Many large Buddhist-heritage populations are older than the global average and have below-replacement fertility. As older cohorts pass away, smaller younger cohorts replace them, and total numbers slowly recede unless offset by conversion or immigration. Pew’s 2025 decomposition notes that China (−23m) and Japan (−7m) explain most of the global decline in the 2010s. (Pew Research Center)

Shifts in religious self-identification. In several East Asian societies, substantial numbers now identify as religiously unaffiliated even while continuing temple visits, ancestor rites, or Buddhist-inflected ethics. This “practice without self-label” dampens official counts. Pew repeatedly cautions that in such contexts, survey wording and cultural concepts of “religion” can under-state Buddhism’s lived footprint. (Pew Research Center)

Migration and diasporas at the margins. While Asia–Pacific dipped, North America (+≈27%) and Europe (+≈26%) saw growth from 2010 to 2020, driven by immigration and by a smaller wave of converts and second-generation retention, especially in urban centres. Those gains don’t yet outweigh declines in East Asia, but they illustrate how the map is changing. (Pew Research Center)

3) Younger generations: are they staying Buddhist?

The honest answer is: it depends where you look. Pew’s comparative switching studies (2025) show notable net losses from Buddhism into “no religion” in Japan and South Korea—specifically, 23% of Japanese adults and 13% of South Korean adults report being raised Buddhist but no longer identify with any religion. Singapore shows a similar, though smaller, pattern. This is part of a broad secularising arc in East Asia. (Pew Research Center)

Yet this is not universal. In many Theravāda heartlands—Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Laos—youth affiliation remains high, supported by tight social linkages between households, schools, merit-making, and local temple life. Cambodia’s 2019 census, again, captures this near-universal identification. Where political upheaval or conflict disrupts institutions (as in Myanmar), robust, long-standing patterns of early monastic education and family merit-economies often keep youth aligned even through turbulence. (nis.gov.kh)

Two further nuances matter:

Identity vs. participation. In Japan and parts of urban China and Korea, younger adults may not tick “Buddhist” on a survey but still visit temples, purchase ofuda/omamori, observe Obon/ancestor rites, or practise zazen/mindfulness. Demographics may show decline; culture often does not. Pew’s 2024 East Asia study documents very high rates of religious switching and hybrid practice, reminding us those numbers don’t fully capture lived Buddhism. (Pew Research Center)
Retention vs. accession. Where youth disaffiliate, some offset arrives via accession into Buddhism—e.g., through mindfulness-centred communities, university Buddhist societies, or cosmopolitan interest in Chan/Zen or Tibetan lineages. But on present evidence, net switching in Japan and South Korea still tilts away from formal Buddhist identity. (Pew Research Center)

4) Leading Buddhist nations—three portraits

Thailand (≈94% Buddhist; ~68m Buddhists). Thailand now appears to hold the largest absolute Buddhist population. The sangha remains deeply woven into social life—boys’ short-term ordination, village temple networks, and a merit economy around almsgiving and festivals—all of which transmit identity across generations. Bangkok’s cosmopolitanism and digital culture are changing how young Thais engage the Dharma (YouTube Dhamma, mindfulness apps), but affiliation remains exceptionally high. (ZENIT - English)

Cambodia (≈97% Buddhist). After the catastrophic destruction of the sangha under the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia has rebuilt its Buddhist institutions to near-universality. The 2019 census figure (97.1%) speaks to remarkable institutional resilience and cultural centrality, with the temple acting as a village hub for rites of passage, schooling, and mediation. Young Cambodians increasingly straddle worlds—smartphones and pagodas—but the religious through-line holds. (nis.gov.kh)

Japan (large Buddhist heritage; rising “no religion”). Japan hosts globally significant Zen, Pure Land, and Nichiren lineages, a rich temple economy, and profound Buddhist arts—yet many young adults describe themselves as non-religious. For them, temples serve as spaces of culture, memory, and mindfulness rather than confessional identity. This decoupling of practice from label is a key reason headline counts can fall even as Buddhism shapes aesthetic, ethical, and contemplative life. (Pew Research Center)

5) Counting Buddhists is hard—and why that matters

Unlike many confessional traditions, Buddhism in East Asia commonly coexists with folk religion, Confucian ethics, and Shinto/Daoist elements. When surveys ask, “What is your religion?”, the intended meaning of “religion” varies by language and history. Pew’s 2025 methodology note and interactive country tables stress rounding, uncertainty intervals, and definitional challenges—especially where individuals practise syncretic Buddhism yet select “no religion” or a local tradition on forms. The upshot: raw totals under-state Buddhism’s cultural reach in parts of East Asia. This must temper apocalyptic readings of “decline.” (Pew Research Center)

6) Diasporas, migration, and the West

In North America and Europe, Buddhist numbers remain a small share but are growing. Immigration from Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Tibet, China, and Japan has seeded temples and meditation centres across major cities. Second-generation communities blend heritage Buddhism (language, festivals, temple volunteering) with convert Buddhism (retreats, mindfulness-based practice, social justice). Pew’s 2010–2020 comparisons show ~27% growth in North America’s Buddhist population and ~26% in Europe from a still small base. (Pew Research Center)

These communities punch above their weight culturally: mindfulness in schools and hospitals; Chan/Zen aesthetics in design; Tibetan compassion training in psychotherapy; interfaith activism; and university Buddhist societies. While formal affiliation edges upward slowly, everyday influence rises faster.

7) Science and the “secular turn”—Buddhism beyond the label

The scientific reception of Buddhist contemplative practice is a major reason the tradition’s global footprint exceeds its censuses. Over the last two decades, clinical trials and neuroscience studies have shown that mindfulness-based interventions (e.g., MBSR, MBCT) can reduce anxiety, depression, and chronic pain, and that meditation can alter brain structure and function in attentional and emotion-regulation networks. That research doesn’t require—and often doesn’t measure—religious identity, yet it draws explicitly on Buddhist insight into attention, non-attachment, and compassion. The result is a worldwide uptake of Buddhist-derived practice in non-religious settings (schools, workplaces, psychotherapy, prisons), especially among younger adults. This quietly sustains Buddhism’s ethical and contemplative legacy even where official “Buddhist” identification is flat.

8) Projections: what does the next decade look like?

Demography isn’t destiny, but certain headwinds and tailwinds are visible:

Headwinds in East Asia: continued ageing, very low fertility, and higher religious switching mean absolute counts may keep drifting down in Japan and parts of urban China and Korea. (Pew Research Center)
Stability in Theravāda heartlands: Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka likely remain majority-Buddhist with high youth socialisation via schools and temples.
Diaspora growth: modest, steady increases in North America/Europe, driven by immigration and mindfulness-linked interest among university-educated cohorts. (Pew Research Center)
Measurement gap: if surveys evolve to capture multiple religious belonging or practice-based affiliation, East Asia’s “decline” could soften statistically, reflecting reality more closely. (Pew Research Center)

9) Legacy beyond the numbers: culture, ethics, environment

Even where the label recedes, the Buddhist grammar of compassion, interdependence, non-harm, and mindful attention is increasingly audible in public life—from mental-health conversations to climate ethics (interdependence dovetails with ecological systems thinking). “Engaged Buddhism” frames non-violence and care for the vulnerable as practical, civic virtues. In Southeast Asia, monasteries remain pillars of social welfare; in the Himalayas, Buddhist institutions steward cultural and ecological heritage; in the West, Buddhist-derived contemplative trainings shape therapy, education, and leadership.

10) What today’s leaders and communities can do (practical levers)

Youth formation: invest in language-appropriate, tech-literate Dharma education; support short-term ordination pathways and service projects that resonate with Gen Z/Gen Alpha.
Hybrid participation: accept that many young adults relate via practice first, identity later; curate low-barrier spaces (campus centres, digital sanghas, mindfulness drop-ins) that welcome seekers without pressure to self-label.
Diaspora bridges: empower second-generation leaders who navigate both heritage culture and local society; fund translation and community mental-health initiatives anchored in compassion practices.
Measurement honesty: when reporting “decline,” contextualise with practice metrics (temple visits, volunteerism, retreat attendance) to avoid misreading the living tradition.

Key data points at a glance

Global total: 324m Buddhists in 2020, down 5% from 2010; 4.1% of humanity; Asia–Pacific ≈98% of all Buddhists. (Pew Research Center)
Largest Buddhist nation (by number): Thailand ~68m (≈94%); China ~53m (≈4%) also massive in absolute terms. (ZENIT - English)
Highest Buddhist share: Cambodia ~97% (2019 census); then Thailand ~94%, Myanmar ~89%, Bhutan ~75%, Sri Lanka ~70%, Laos ~64%, Mongolia ~51%. (nis.gov.kh)
Youth trends: net switching away from Buddhism in Japan (23%) and South Korea (13%); high youth retention across much of mainland Southeast Asia. (Pew Research Center)
Regions growing: North America (+~27%) and Europe (+~26%) Buddhists, 2010–2020 (from small bases), due mainly to immigration and convert communities. (Pew Research Center)

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References

Pew Research Center. “Buddhist population change (2010–2020)” and “How the Global Religious Landscape Changed From 2010 to 2020.” 9 June 2025. (Global totals; regional and country shifts; age structure; methods.) (Pew Research Center)
Pew Research Center. “Religious switching into and out of Buddhism” and “Around the World, Many People Are Leaving Their Childhood Religions.” 26 Mar 2025. (Net losses; retention; accession; Japan and South Korea figures.) (Pew Research Center)
Pew Research Center. “Religion and Spirituality in East Asian Societies.” 17 June 2024. (East Asia’s high switching and hybrid practice patterns.) (Pew Research Center)
National Institute of Statistics, Cambodia. “General Population Census of Cambodia 2019.” (Final report confirming ~97.1% Buddhist.) (nis.gov.kh)
Contextual note on current country rankings echoing Pew’s updates (Thailand ≈68m Buddhists; China ≈53m). (ZENIT - English)