Why is Buddhism shrinking worldwide?
The global population of Buddhists shrank by roughly 5% between 2010 and 2020, the sole major religious group to decline.
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The global population of Buddhists shrank by roughly 5% between 2010 and 2020, the sole major religious group to decline.
Today, there are millions of Buddhists in the United States, including many who were born to Buddhist families and others who converted into the religion.
Buddhism is the only major religion whose global population shrank between 2010 and 2020. Learn why it declined in East Asia, particularly in Japan and South Korea.
People who live in the American South continue to be more religious, on average, than residents of the Midwest, Northeast and West.
Hindus and Jews are much more likely to have a four-year college degree than Americans in other religious groups.
There has been an 8-percentage point drop since early 2025 in the share of White evangelicals who support all or most of Trump’s plans and policies.
Despite the widely recognized decline of Christianity in the U.K., there have been persistent rumblings of a Christian resurgence.
Growing numbers of Latin Americans are religiously unaffiliated, but belief in God remains high across the region.
A majority of adults still identify with their childhood religion, but 35% don’t. Read about when and why Americans may switch faiths or stay.
Analysis of our polls and other data shows no clear evidence of a religious revival among young adults. Read more about religiousness by age and gender.
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