As an expert in religious demographics, I have always been fascinated by the distribution of different faiths around the world. One particular question that often comes up is, which state has the highest number of buddhists? After conducting extensive research and analyzing data from various sources, I can confidently say that Hawaii takes the top spot with the largest population of Buddhists, at 8%.While Buddhism may not be the majority religion in most countries, it holds a significant presence in many nations and territories. In fact, it is the majority religion in Bhutan, Myanmar, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Mongolia, and Laos. It is also the most followed religion in certain areas without any majority religion, such as mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Kalmykia in Russia.
Additionally, there are large Buddhist populations in North Korea, Nepal, India and South Korea. However, when it comes to sheer numbers, China takes the lead with approximately 244 million Buddhists, which accounts for 18.2% of its total population. The majority of these followers belong to the Chinese Mahayana schools, making it the largest group of traditions within Buddhism.
