Index| Group | Where | Number of Adherents |
% of total pop. |
Number of congreg./ churches/ units |
Number of countries |
Year | Source | Quote/ Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buddhism | world | 254,867,456 | - | - | - | 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 | world | 256,387,200 | 5.70% | - | - | 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 | world | 254,867,456 | 5.54% | - | - | 1982 | *LINK* Web site: "Urantia Book Fellowship Archives "; web page: "An Introduction to Buddhism " [subtitle: "The Religion of Peaceful, Ethical Self-culture "] (viewed 11 April 1999). Written by Meredith Sprunger. | "Buddhism... was the first religion of the world to become international and today (1982) has a membership of 254,867,450. " [Approx. 1982 world pop.: 4.6 billion.] |
| Buddhism | world | 5,000,000 | - | - | - | 1983 | Berger, Gilda. Religion: A Reference First Book. New York: Franklin Watts (1983); pg. 14. | "There are, though, an estimated 5 million Buddhists in the Orient and in other parts of the world today, and there has been a resurgence of Buddhism in India in this century. " |
| Buddhism | world | 50,000,000 | - | - | - | 1985 | Barker, Carol. Ananda in Sri Lanka: A Story of Buddhism; London: Hamish Hamilton (1985), frontispiece. | "There are over 500 million Buddhists throughout the world. " |
| Buddhism | world | 500,000,000 | - | - | - | 1986 | Fischer-Schreiber, Ingrid, et al. The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy & Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen. Shambhala: Boston (English: pub. 1994; orig. German: 1986); pg. 50. | "Exact figures concerning the number of Buddhists in the world (150-500 million) cannot be given, since adherence to Buddhism does not preclude adherence to other religions. " |
| Buddhism | world | 500,000,000 | - | - | - | 1986 | Pastva, Loretta. Great Religions of the World; Winona, Minnesota: Saint Mary's Press, Christian Brothers Publications (1995) [9th printing. 1st printing in 1986]; pg. 87. | "After Christianity and Islam, Buddhism may be the largest religion in the world, with about 500 million followers currently. " |
| Buddhism | world | 230,000,000 | - | - | - | 1990 | Carlisle, Richard (editor), The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Mankind vol. 19, Marshall Cavendish: Freeport, NY (1990); pg. 2494. | - |
| Buddhism | world | 320,000,000 | - | - | - | 1991 | Russell, Chandler. Racing Toward 2001; Zondervan Publishing House: Grand Rapids, MI (1992). [Orig. source: Tom Sine, "Wild Hope " (Dallas: Word, 1991), pg. 174.]; pg. 190. | "Worldwide, there are an estimated 320 million Buddhists. With a projected growth rate of 1.7% annually, they should top 359 million by 2001; an increasing number will reside in the West. " |
| Buddhism | world | - | - | - | 86 countries |
1992 | The Baha'is. Leicestershire, United Kingdom: Baha'i Publishing Trust of the U.K. (1994; 1st ed. 1992); pg. 6. | Graphic: "Geographic Spread of the World's Independent Religions: Number of countries with significant communities "; [Original source: 1992 Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year] |
| Buddhism | world | 311,438,016 | - | - | - | 1993 | Faux, Marian (ed.). The New York Public Library Sudent's Desk Reference. New York: Prentice Hall (1993); pg. 270. | Table: "The World's Major Religions: How Big Are They? "; "Estimated number of followers of each religion. " |
| Buddhism | world | 300,000,000 | - | - | - | 1993 | Rausch, David A. & Carl Hermann Voss. World Religions: Our Quest for Meaning; Trinity Press International: Valley Forge, PA (1993); pg. 81. | "Today, over 300 million Buddhists in hundreds of theological, philosophical, and social systems seek enlightenment and strive to understand ultimate reality. " |
| Buddhism | world | 334,000,000 | 6.00% | - | - | 1993 | *LINK* web page: "Buddhism: Numbers and Distribution "; web site: "Supporting Materials: Culture " (Slippery Rock Univ., PA). (viewed 31 Aug. 1999). Last Revised: 10-25-95 | "Buddhism... 1900 -- 127 million (7.8% of world); 1993 -- 334 million (6.0% of world); Overwhelmingly concentrated in Asia. " |
| Buddhism | world | 334,001,984 | - | - | - | 1993 | *LINK* web site: "Wholesome Words: Worldwide Missions " by Stephen Ross, "First Edition, 1998 "; [original sources: The World Factbook 1997 (CIA, 1998)] | Table: "Major religions of the world (1993 est.) " |
| Buddhism | world | - | 6.00% | - | - | 1994 | Halverson, Dean C. (ed.) The Compact Guide to World Religions; Colorado Springs, Colorado: International Students Inc. (1996). [Publisher is an Evangelical missionary organization.]; pg. 55. | "It is estimated that the number of adherents of Buddhism comprise around 6% of the world's population (Barret, 25), although this figure is difficult to gauge because of Buddhism's ability to assimilate itself into a culture... " |
| Buddhism | world | 350,000,000 | - | - | - | 1994 | Neusner, Jacob (ed). World Religions in America: An Introduction; Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press (1994); pg. 217. | "With about 350 million people identified as Buddhists in the countries of Asia, it continues to have a crucial role in shaping the religious life of the world, and it has grown constantly in importance in modern America. " |
| Buddhism | world | 300,000,000 | - | - | - | 1994 | Yenne, Bill. 100 Men Who Shaped World History. San Francisco, CA: Bluewood Books (1994); pg. 13. | "Of the great organized world religions with the largest number of adherents today, two--Judaism and Hinduism--trace their roots to antiquity and as such have no specific founder. The other three--Buddhism, Christianity and Islam--were all established in historical times by specific persons... After his death, his followers spread throughout Asia, finding a greater proportion of adherents in China, Japan and Southeast Asia than in India. Today, there are almost 300 million Buddhists in the world, 99.5 percent of them in Asia. " |
| Buddhism | world | 323,894,016 | 5.67% | - | - | 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 | world | - | 6.00% | - | - | 1995 | *LINK* web page: "Principal World Religions "; web site: "Supporting Materials: Culture " (Slippery Rock Univ., PA). (viewed 31 Aug. 1999). | Graph: "Principal World Religions "; "Last Revised: 10-25-95 "; Christianity 30%; Islam 20%; Hinduism 14%; Buddhism 6%; Judaism .3%; Other 30%. |
| Buddhism | world | 325,275,008 | 5.60% | - | - | 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 | world | 314,939,008 | 5.70% | - | - | 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 " |
| Buddhism | world | 337,000,000 | - | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* "From: p.west@mailbox.uq.edu.au (Peter B. West); Newsgroups: aus.religion, aus.religion.christian, alt.christnet.theology; Subject: Re: Anglicans, Catholics, Buddhists?; Date: Mon, 07 Apr 1997 " [Orig. source: "From 'The Public Square' by Richard John Neuhaus (1997); First Things 70 (Feb. 1997): 58-74. http://www.firstthings.com/ "] | "Just to round out the picture, there are a little over a billion people classified as 'non-religious' or 'atheist,' 766 million Hindus, 337 million Buddhists, and 20 million Sikhs. " |
| Buddhism | world | 323,894,016 | - | - | - | 1997 | Ash, Russell. The Top 10 of Everything, DK Publishing, Inc.: New York (1997); pg. 160-161. | List: "Top 10 Organized Religions in the World "; (Rank: 4) |
| Buddhism | world | 3,000,000 | - | - | - | 1997 | Breuilly, Elizabeth, et al. Religions of the World: The Illustrated Guide to Origins, Beliefs, Traditions & Festivals. Facts on File Inc.: New York, NY (1997); pg. 10 to 11. | "There are over 3 million Buddhists worldwide... More than 85% of the population of Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand is Buddhist, as is more than 70% of that in Cambodia, Laos, and Japan. " NOTE: The 3 million figure is obviously a typographical error. |
| Buddhism | world | 400,000,000 | - | - | - | 1997 | Ganeri, Anita. Religions Explained: A Beginner's Guide to World Faiths, Henry Hold and Company: Markham, Ontario (1997); pg. 44. | "Today there are more than 400 million Buddhists. " |
| Buddhism | world | 353,000,000 | 6.00% | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* web page: "Major Religions of the World "; web site: "Supporting Materials: Culture " (Slippery Rock Univ., PA). (viewed 31 Aug. 1999). Last revised 23 June 1999. | "Buddhism... Numbered 127 million in 1900 (7.8% of world) and 353 million in 1997 (6.0% of world). " |
| Buddhism | world | 338,500,000 | 5.99% | - | - | 1997 | Zeman, Anne & Kate Kelly. Everything You Need to Know About Geography Homework. New York: Irving Place Press/Scholastic Reference (1997); pg. 69. | "Buddhism: Begun about 525 B.C. by Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha), c. 563-480, in India... Today, Buddhism is practiced by approximately 338,500,000 people throughout Asia, from Sri Lanka to Japan. " |
| Buddhism | world | 324,000,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* "Top 10 Organized Religions in the World " in Christian Science Monitor, Aug. 4, 1998, page B2. | Table, with 2 columns: Religion, Members: "Christianity, 1.9 billion; Islam 1.1 billion; Hinduism, 781 mil.; Buddhism, 324 mil.; Sikhism, 19 mil.; Judaism, 14 mil.; Baha'ism, 6.1 mil.; Confucianism, 5.3 mil.; Jainism, 4.9 mil.; Shintoism, 2.8 mil. " |
| Buddhism | world | 353,793,984 | 5.97% | - | - | 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 | world | 364,872,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | Ash, Russell. The Top 10 of Everything 1999. New York: DK Publishing (1998); pg. 77. | Table: "Top 10 Organized Religious Groups in the World "; Rank: #4 |
| Buddhism | world | 300,000,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* web site: "All Faiths Press "; web page: "Buddhism " (viewed 27 Feb. 1999) | "Over 300 million " adherents |
| Buddhism | world | 314,939,008 | - | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* web site: "Mike Croghan's Religion Page "; web page: "Buddhism " (viewed 27 Feb. 1999; viewed & URL updated 1 July 1999) | Table: "Table of Faiths " |
| Buddhism | world | 250,000,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* web site: "United Church of Canada Inter-Faith Dialogue "; web page: "Buddhism " (viewed 19 Feb. 1999), written by Fritz B. Voll, "Updated: Tue Jun 9 23:39:38 1998 " | "There are about 250 million Buddhists in the world. The estimate for Canada is around 100,000. " |
| Buddhism | world | 296,000,000 | 6.00% | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* web site: Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance (viewed circa Nov. 1998) [Original sources: J.W. Wright, Editor, The Universal Almanac, 1996, Andrews & McMeel, Kansas City. Greg H. Parsons, Executive Director, "U.S. Center for World Mission, " Pasadena, CA; quoted in Zondervan News Service, 1997-FEB-21.] | Table: "Number of Adherents of World Religions " |
| Buddhism | world | 350,000,000 | - | - | - | 1999 | *LINK* Lewis, Brian. "Rise of Buddhism " in Wichita Eagle, 16 Oct. 1999 (v. online). | "The religion of 350 million people is appealing more and more to people in this country who were not born into Buddhist cultures. " |
| Buddhism | world | - | - | - | 86 countries |
1999 | *LINK* web page "Baha'is of Flemington, New Jersey, U.S.A. " | Table under heading "...and where are the Baha'is? " [Shows number of countries major religions are in.] |
| Buddhism | world | 250,000,000 | - | - | - | 1999 | Zickgraf, Ralph. Laos (series: Major World Nations). Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers (1999); pg. 63. | "Buddhism, a religion observed by approximately 250 million people worldwide... " |
| Buddhism | world | 360,000,000 | 6.00% | - | - | 2000 | Marty, Martin E. & R. Scott Appleby. The Glory and the Power: The Fundamentalist Challenge to the Modern World; Boston: Beacon Press (1992); pg. 13. | "recently the 'World Christian Encyclopedia' projected religious numbers for the year 2000, and according to these estimates... There may be 860 million Hindus, 360 million buddhists... " |
| Buddhism | world | 359,000,000 | - | - | - | 2000 | Russell, Chandler. Racing Toward 2001; Zondervan Publishing House: Grand Rapids, MI (1992). [Orig. source: Tom Sine, "Wild Hope " (Dallas: Word, 1991), pg. 174.]; pg. 190. | "Worldwide, there are an estimated 320 million Buddhists. With a projected growth rate of 1.7% annually, they should top 359 million by 2001; an increasing number will reside in the West. " |
| Buddhism | world - except Asia | 1,500,000 | - | - | - | 1994 | Yenne, Bill. 100 Men Who Shaped World History. San Francisco, CA: Bluewood Books (1994); pg. 13. | "Today, there are almost 300 million Buddhists in the world, 99.5 percent of them in Asia. " |
| Buddhism | Wyoming | - | 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 | Wyoming | - | 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 | Yukon | - | - | - | - | 1991 | Gall, Timothy L. & Susan Bevan Gall (editors). Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Canadian Provinces. Detroit: U.X.L. (1997), [Source: Canadian Census]; pg. 186. | "In 1991, 43.1% of the population--or about 12,000 people--was Protestant... There were less than 100 people each of the following: Eastern Orthodox, Jews, Moslems, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Hindus. " |
| Buddhism | Yukon | - | 0.00% | - | - | 1991 | *LINK* web site: "Statistics Canada "; web page: "Population, by religion, 1991 Census " (viewed 9 Jan. 1999); Source: Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 93-319-XPB. | table: "Population, by religion, 1991 Census " |
| Buddhism - Asian | Germany | 12,000 | - | - | - | 1997 | *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]; Listed as "Asiatische Buddhisten insgesamt " in table. Source: REMID. Listed in "Buddhism " section. |
| Buddhism - Cambodian temples | Maryland | - | - | - | - | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 2 - Americas. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998); pg. 96. | "Nearly all Cambodian Americans are Buddhist... Whereas in 1979 there were only 3 Cambodian temples in the US, by 1990 there were more than 50. Most Buddhist temples in the US are in houses or apartments, but there are a few traditional temples with attached monasteries, such as the large complex in Maryland. " |
| Buddhism - Cambodian temples | USA | - | - | 3 units |
- | 1979 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 2 - Americas. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998); pg. 96. | "Nearly all Cambodian Americans are Buddhist... Whereas in 1979 there were only 3 Cambodian temples in the US, by 1990 there were more than 50. " |
| Buddhism - Cambodian temples | USA | - | - | 50 units |
- | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 2 - Americas. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998); pg. 96. | "Nearly all Cambodian Americans are Buddhist... Whereas in 1979 there were only 3 Cambodian temples in the US, by 1990 there were more than 50. Most Buddhist temples in the US are in houses or apartments, but there are a few traditional temples with attached monasteries, such as the large complex in Maryland. " |
| Buddhism - German | Germany | 40,000 | - | - | - | 1997 | *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]; Listed as "Deutsche Buddhisten insgesamt " in table. Source: REMID. Listed in "Buddhism " section. |
| Buddhism - home disciples | China | 3,000,000 | - | - | - | 1945 | Ferm, Vergilius (ed). An Encyclopedia of Religion; Westport, CT: Greenwood Press (1976; 1st ed. pub. 1945 by Philosophical Library); pg. 97. | "Today the T'ien-t'ai and the Pure Land Schools are still the strongest in China... Of the 738,000 monks and nuns, 267,000 temples, some 3,000,000 'home disciples,' and an unknown number of Buddha-worshipers in China... " |
| Buddhism - households with Butsudan | Japan | - | 60.00% | - | - | 1996 | Bocking, Brian. A Popular Dictionary of Shinto. Surrey, England: Curzon (1996); pg. 13. | "Butsudan: Buddhist altar, found in the home of the senior living member of a family. This currently amounts to about 60% of Japanese homes... The institution of the butsudan reflects, as well as an expression of attachment to the deceased and filial piety, a widespread belief in the continuing existence of the personality after death... " |
| Buddhism - households with Butsudan | Japan | - | - | - | - | 1998 | Rutherford, Scott (ed.) East Asia. London: Apa Publications (1998); pg. 281. | "Until recently, nearly every home was equipped with a kamidana god shelf with Shinto symbols, or else a butsudan Buddhist household altar containing memorials for the family's ancestors, before which offerings of flowers, food, drink or incense are made daily. Many had both. " |
| Buddhism - monastic | Cambodia | 64,000 | - | 3,000 units |
- | 1974 | Cavendish, Marshall. Cambodia ( "Cultures of the World " series), Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Corp. (1996); pg. 67. | "The overwhelming majority of Cambodians are Buddhists. Before the Khmer Rouge took over in 1975, there were over 3,000 monastaries in the country and more than 64,000 monks. " |
| Buddhism - monastic | Cambodia | 64,000 | - | 3,000 units |
- | 1974 | Sheehan, Sean. Cambodia (series: Cultures of the World). New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp. (1996); pg. 67. | "The overwhelming majority of Cambodians are Buddhists. Before the Khmer Rouge took over in 1975, there were over 3,000 monasteries in the country and more than 64,000 monks. Life in the countryside was closely bound to the local temple, and monks were highly respected figures. " |
| Buddhism - monastic | Cambodia | 2,000 | - | - | - | 1979 | Sheehan, Sean. Cambodia (series: Cultures of the World). New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp. (1996); pg. 67. | "The overwhelming majority of Cambodians are Buddhists. Before the Khmer Rouge took over in 1975, there were over 3,000 monasteries in the country and more than 64,000 monks... Pol Pot's regime disbanded all the temples, and Buddhist monks became prime targets for persecution. The vast majority of the monks were executed or died from overwork and lack of food while being forced to work in the countryside. Perhaps as few as 2,000 monks survived the Pol Pot Years of 1975-79. " |
| Buddhism - monastic | Cambodia | 2,000 | - | - | - | 1980 | Cavendish, Marshall. Cambodia ( "Cultures of the World " series), Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Corp. (1996); pg. 67. | "Before the Khmer Rouge took over in 1975, there were over 3,000 monastaries in the country and more than 64,000 monks... Pol Pot's regime disbanded all the temples, and Buddhist monks became prime targets of persecution. The vast majority of the monks were executed... Perhaps as few as 2,000 monks survived the Pol Pot years of 1975-79. " |
| Buddhism - monastic | China | 750,000 | - | - | - | 1945 | Cousins, L. S. "Buddhism " in Hinnells, John R. (ed). A Handbook of Living Religions, Penguin Books: New York (1991) [reprint; 1st published in 1984]; pg. 328. | "In modern times, before Communist rule, the Chinese Buddhist Sangha was quite large--of the order of half a million monks and a quarter of a million nuns. " |
| Buddhism - monastic | China | 738,000 | - | - | - | 1945 | Ferm, Vergilius (ed). An Encyclopedia of Religion; Westport, CT: Greenwood Press (1976; 1st ed. pub. 1945 by Philosophical Library); pg. 97. | "Today the T'ien-t'ai and the Pure Land Schools are still the strongest in China... Of the 738,000 monks and nuns, 267,000 temples, some 3,000,000 'home disciples,' and an unknown number of Buddha-worshipers in China... " |
| Buddhism - monastic | China | 500,000 | - | 40,000 units |
- | 1948 | Time-Life BooksChina (series: Library of Nations). Amsterdam: Time-Life Books (1984); pg. 14. | "The earliest of the imported religions, Buddhism, came from India in the first century B.C. Before the Communist takeover in 1949, the followers of Buddha supported half a million monks and nuns; 40,000 temples and monasteries dotted the land, along with uncounted statues of Buddha, some of them monumental. Since then, the number of clerics has shrunk, but the great yearly festivals go on. " |
| Buddhism - monastic | China | 500,000 | - | 50,000 units |
- | 1949 | Rutherford, Scott (ed.) East Asia. London: Apa Publications (1998); pg. 45. | "In 1949, the year the People's Republic of China was founded, there were approximately 500,000 Buddhist monks and nuns, and 50,000 temples and monasteries. A number of well-known Buddhist temples were classified as historical monuments. " |
| Buddhism - monastic | China | 200,000 | - | - | - | 1999 | *LINK* web site of "Taoist Restoration Society "; web page: "Field Notes " (viewed 19 Feb. 1999) | Subhead: "China ": "China currently has about 200,000 Buddhist clergy and only about 25,000 Taoist clergy. As a point of reference, in 1950 China had approximatley 5,000,000 Taoist clergy. " |
| Buddhism - monastic | Japan | 269,000 | 0.22% | - | - | 1985 | *LINK* [Orig. source: The International Society for Educational Information, Inc., Tokyo (1998)] | "Figures... 1985 as reported by religious orgs. to the Agency for Cultural Affairs are as follows: Shinto Buddhism Christianity miscellaneous: Priests, Clergy & Ministers 102,000 269,000 22,000 253,000... total pop...121 mil. " |
| Buddhism - monastic | Korea, South | 22,260 | - | 7,244 units |
- | 1983 | *LINK* web site: "Little Korea "; web page: "Religion " (viewed 22 Jan. 1999) | Table: "Status of Religions " (as of 1983); 3 columns: "churches ", "clergymen ", "followers "; presumably this is from a government survey or census. |
| Buddhism - monastic | Tibet | 213,148 | - | 42,318 units |
- | 1292 C.E. | Li, Dun Jen. The Ageless Chinese: A History (3rd Ed.). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons (1978); pg. 261. | "Each year government expenses for Buddhist and various religious services accounted for more than one-half of its total expenditure! In 1292 it was said that altogether there were 42,318 Buddhist temples and monasteries and 213,148 monks and nuns. " |
| Buddhism - monastic | Tibet | - | 16.50% | - | - | 1950 | Welles, Sam. The World's Great Religions, New York: Time Incorporated (1957); pg. 55. | "In Tibet, where, at the time of Red China's occupation in 1950, a third of the male population was in Buddhist monasteries and where Buddhist piety was deeper... " |
Buddhism - monastic, continued 