Gordon-Conwell counted 531 million Buddhists in 2020 and Pew 324 million
Source. Pew Research Center, Religious Composition by Country, 2010–2020; Gordon-Conwell, Status of Global Christianity, 2025 (World Christian Database), 1900–2050.
Method and data
Method. Gordon-Conwell counts Chinese folk-religionists as a separate group; Pew includes many of the same people among the unaffiliated or other religions.
| Source | Year | Buddhists | Chinese folk-religionists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pew Research Center | 2020 | 324,190,000 | |
| Gordon-Conwell (World Christian Database) | 2020 | 531,050,000 | 453,250,000 |
