Buddhism in Africa
Buddhismis practised inAfrica.Though there have been some conversions amongst Africans, the majority of Buddhists in Africa are ofAsiandescent, mostlyChinese,Vietnamese,Sri LankanorJapanese.[citation needed]
South Africaholds the largest Buddhist population in the continent. According to estimates in the 2010s, Buddhist adherents (together withTaoismandChinese Folk Religion) had been increasing there to between 0.2%[1]or 0.3%[2]of the South African population, or between 100 and 150 thousand people, however, the number of practising Buddhists may be lower.
The African countries and territories in theIndian Oceanalso have significant Buddhist minorities.Mauritiushas the highest Buddhist percentage (between 1.5[3]to 2%[4]of the total population) among African countries due to a high number ofChinese people(nearly 40 thousand or 3% of the Mauritian population[5]). However, the number of practicing Buddhists is only about 0.4,[6]andMadagascaris also home of about 20 thousand Buddhists[7](or about 0.1%[8]of the total population). In theSeychellesandRéunion,Buddhists represented about 0.1%[9][10]to 0.2%[1][11]of the islands' populations.
InNorth Africa,about 0.3%[1][12](or about 20 thousand people) ofLibya's population are also Buddhists (mostly foreign workers fromAsia). There are also two Buddhist centers inCasablanca,Morocco.[13]
Buddhist centers and temples can be found inSub-Saharan Africancountries such as:Botswana,[14]Cameroon,[15]Ghana,[16]Guinea,[17]Ivory Coast,[18]Kenya,[19]Lesotho,[20]Liberia,[21]Malawi,[22]Mali,[23]Namibia,[24]Nigeria,[25]Senegal,Sierra Leone,[26]Swaziland,[27]Tanzania,[28]Togo,[29]Uganda,[30]Zambia,[31]andZimbabwe.[32]
There have also been cases of some high-profile celebrities converting to Buddhism such asAdewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje,a famous British actor ofNigeriandescent.[33]
One of the very few monastics of African descent is Ven. Bhante Buddharakkhita from Uganda, founder of theUganda Buddhist Centre.
Buddhist population by country
[edit]| Countries/Territories | PracticingBuddhism (2010's estimates)[34] |
Chinese Folk Religions (2010's estimates)[35] |
Combined numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Africa | |||
 Burundi
|
- | - | - |
 Comoros
|
- | - | - |
 Djibouti
|
- | - | - |
 Eritrea
|
- | - | - |
 Ethiopia
|
1,327 | - | 1,327 |
 Kenya
|
1,276 | 1,945 | 3,221 |
 Madagascar
|
5,178 | 10,357 | 15,535 |
 Malawi
|
available[22][36] | - | - |
 Mauritius
|
3,222 | 17,292 | 20,514 |
 Mayotte(France)
|
- | - | - |
 Mozambique
|
2,035 | 4,341 | 6,376 |
 Réunion(France)
|
1,570 | - | 1,570 |
 Rwanda
|
- | - | - |
 Seychelles
|
available[9] | available[10] | - |
 Somalia
|
- | - | - |
 South Sudan
|
- | - | - |
 Tanzania
|
10,157 | 23,699 | 33,856 |
 Uganda
|
2,005 | 4,278 | 6,283 |
 Zambia
|
3,927 | 8,377 | 12,304 |
 Zimbabwe
|
189 | 402 | 591 |
| Central Africa | |||
 Angola
|
1,632 | 162 | 1,794 |
 Cameroon
|
353 | 753 | 1,106 |
 Central African Republic
|
- | - | - |
 Chad
|
1,684 | 3,593 | 5,277 |
 Republic of the Congo
|
- | 283 | 283 |
 Democratic Republic of the Congo
|
3,734 | - | - |
 Equatorial Guinea
|
- | - | - |
 Gabon
|
- | - | - |
 São Tomé and Príncipe
|
- | - | - |
| Northern Africa | |||
 Algeria
|
5,320 | 11,350 | 16,670 |
 Egypt
|
1,687 | - | - |
 Libya
|
20,209 | 1,773 | 21,982 |
 Morocco
|
available[13] | - | - |
 Sudan
|
982 | 2,094 | 3,076 |
 Tunisia
|
79 | 168 | 247 |
 Western Sahara
|
- | - | - |
| Southern Africa | |||
 Botswana
|
1,120 | 111 | 1,231 |
 Lesotho
|
available[20] | - | - |
 Namibia
|
available[24] | - | - |
 South Africa
|
159,220 | 35,589 | 194,809 |
 Swaziland
|
available[27] | - | - |
| Western Africa | |||
 Benin
|
- | - | - |
 Burkina Faso
|
available[37] | - | - |
 Cape Verde
|
- | - | - |
 Gambia
|
- | - | - |
 Ghana
|
488 | 707 | 1,195 |
 Guinea
|
8,983 | - | - |
 Guinea-Bissau
|
- | - | - |
 Ivory Coast
|
9,869 | - | - |
 Liberia
|
available[21] | - | - |
 Mali
|
available[23] | ||
 Mauritania
|
- | - | - |
 Niger
|
- | - | - |
 Nigeria
|
8,458 | 4,675 | 13,133 |
 Senegal
|
1,679 | 398 | 2,057 |
 Sierra Leone
|
available[26][38] | ||
 Togo
|
available[29][39] | - | - |
| Africa | 256,383 | 132,348 | 388,731 |
See also
[edit]- Buddhism in Libya
- Buddhism in Senegal
- Buddhism in Réunion
- Buddhism in South Africa
- Index of Buddhism-related articles
Further reading
[edit]- Clasquin, Michel / Krüger, Jacobus S. (eds.) (1999):Buddhism and Africa.Pretoria: University of South Africa
References
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- ^"Religious Adherents, 2010 – South Africa".World Christian Database.Archivedfrom the original on 30 September 2019.Retrieved28 July2013.
- ^"Religious Adherents, 2010 – Mauritius (0.2% Buddhist + 1.3% Chinese Folk Religion)".World Christian Database.Archivedfrom the original on 3 April 2019.Retrieved28 July2013.
- ^"Buddhism in Mauritius (1981)".Adherents. Archived from the original on 7 May 2017.Retrieved20 November2011.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^Background Note: Mauritius,U.S. Department of State: U.S. Department of State, 2010,archivedfrom the original on 2021-09-25,retrieved2012-03-24
- ^"Resident population by religion and sex"(PDF).Statistics Mauritius.p. 68. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 16 October 2013.Retrieved1 November2012.
- ^religiousintelligence.co.uk - Madagascar
- ^"Religious Adherents, 2010 - Madagascar".World Christian Database.Archivedfrom the original on 12 October 2013.Retrieved28 July2013.
- ^ab"Seychelles Travel Guide - Religion".Archived fromthe originalon 2017-02-22.Retrieved2013-08-03.
- ^ab"Religious Adherents, 2010 - Seychelles".World Christian Database.Archivedfrom the original on 12 October 2013.Retrieved28 July2013.
- ^"Religious Adherents, 2010 – Réunion".World Christian Database.Archivedfrom the original on 15 May 2013.Retrieved28 July2013.
- ^"Religious Adherents, 2010 - Libya".World Christian Database.Archivedfrom the original on 2 October 2013.Retrieved28 July2013.,AllGov - LibyaArchived2021-01-19 at theWayback Machine
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- ^"List of Buddhist centers in Ghana".BuddhaNet.Archivedfrom the original on 6 January 2014.Retrieved28 July2013.
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- ^"60 SECONDS: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje".30 August 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 16 August 2011.Retrieved6 October2010.
- ^"Most Buddhist Nations (2010) | QuickLists | The Association of Religion Data Archives".Archivedfrom the original on 2019-02-25.Retrieved2013-08-20.
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