Buddhism in China

Buddhism in China
Total population
c.42 million or 4% formally affiliated (Pew Research Center 2023)
Regions with significant populations
Throughout China
Religions
Buddhism (mostly East Asian Mahayana)
Languages
Chinese and other languages

Buddhism is followed by more than 40 million people in China, accounting for around 4% of the country's population. There are three main Buddhist branches there; Han or Chinese Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Theravada Buddhism. There is no definitive answer to the time when Buddhism was first introduced to China, but it is generally believed that this occurred around the time of the Han dynasty.