Religion in Asia

• 1. The Birthplace Of Faiths

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  Asia stands as the largest and most populous continent on Earth. It is also the historical birthplace of eleven major world religions. These traditions include Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism, Korean shamanism, and Zoroastrianism. All these major religious traditions are practiced within the region today. New forms of belief continue to emerge constantly across the landscape. The sheer diversity of culture in Asia remains a defining feature of the continent. Hinduism and Islam stand out as the two largest religions in the area. Each faith claims approximately 1.2 billion to 1.3 billion adherents.

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• 2. Indian Religious Traditions

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  Hinduism serves as the largest religion in Asia with about 1.26 billion followers. Most practitioners live in South and Southeast Asia. More than 93% of the global Hindu population resides in India alone. Demographically, it represents the largest religion in India at 80%. It holds an 85% majority in Nepal and an 87% majority on the island of Bali. As of 2020, India housed a Hindu population of 1.10 billion people. Nepal contained 23.5 million Hindus while Bangladesh held 14.5 million. This tradition originated in India before spreading outward. It is a fusion resulting from incorporating tribal cultures and folk deities. Principles like karma, moksha, rebirth, and reincarnation became central concepts. These ideas were incorporated into Sramana traditions such as Buddhism and Jainism. Siddartha Gautama founded Buddhism which is known as the Buddha. He established this fourth largest world religion that follows 12% of Asia's population. Thailand maintains a 95% Buddhist majority while Myanmar holds 89%. Cambodia reaches 98% adherence to these teachings. Sri Lanka stands at 70% and Laos at 67%. Mongolia counts 54% of its population as Buddhist. Japan ranges between 20% and 36% depending on the source. Bhutan claims 75% and Tibet 79%. Macau sits at 80% Buddhist adherence. Large populations also reside in Taiwan at 35% and China at 4%. Singapore hosts 33% while South Korea has 22.9%. Malaysia contains 19.8% and Hong Kong 15%. North Korea accounts for 13.8% and Nepal 10.7%. Ladakh reaches 39.65% and Sikkim 27.39%. Before Islam arrived, Buddhism was one of the most widely practiced religions in Central Asia, Afghanistan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia.

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• 3. Abrahamic Faiths In Asia

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  Judaism remains the predominant religion in Israel with 75.6% of the population. The nominal Jewish population there numbers about 6.1 million people. Outside Israel small diaspora communities exist in Palestine, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran, India, and Uzbekistan. Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest religion with about 2.4 billion followers globally. In Asia it serves as a widespread minority religion with more than 286 million adherents according to Pew Research Center data from 2010. Nearly 364 million adhere to it according to Britannica Book of the Year 2014. This constitutes around 8.5% of the total Asian population. Only six countries are predominantly Christian within Asia. Asian Russia predominantly adheres to the Russian Orthodox Church. Cyprus is predominantly Orthodox while the Philippines is the third-largest Roman Catholic nation in the world. Timor Leste stands as the most overwhelming Christian nation at 99.6%. Armenia was the first state to adopt a Christian denomination as its state religion. Georgia reaches 88.1% adherence. Christianity accounts for 29.2% of South Korea's population. It is now the predominant religion in South Korea. A large minority exists in Lebanon accounting for 40% of its population. Large populations also live in Kazakhstan, Singapore, and Kyrgyzstan. Asian countries with significant Christian numbers include the Philippines, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Vietnam, Georgia, Armenia, Malaysia, Japan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Syria, Sri Lanka, East Timor, and Taiwan. Ancient communities of Middle Eastern Christians and Arab Christians number more than 3 million in West Asia. Expatriate workers include sizeable Christian communities living in the Arabian Peninsula numbering more than 3 million. Islam is the largest religion in Asia with about 1.2 billion adherents. Asia constitutes the absolute majority of the world's Muslim population. South and Southeast Asia are home to the most populous Muslim countries. Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Malaysia have more than 100 million adherents each. In 2006 U.S. government figures recorded 20 million Muslims in China. Non-Arab countries like Iran and Turkey are the largest Muslim-majority countries in Western Asia. Pakistan and Bangladesh hold the largest Muslim-majority status in South Asia. Afghanistan and Uzbekistan lead Central Asia. Indonesia stands at 86% Muslim while Pakistan reaches 97%. Bangladesh is 89% and Malaysia is 65%. India's Muslim population makes up 14% of the total, approximately 200 million people. The Philippines contains 6-11 percent or some 6 to 12 million Muslims. Thailand's Muslims make up 4.6 percent or approximately 3 million people. Sri Lanka's Muslims constitute 10 percent or approximately 2.5 million people. Twenty-seven states in Asia are Muslim majority including Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Kuwait, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Maldives, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Jordan, Palestine, and Lebanon. The Bahá'í Faith was founded by Bahá'u'lláh in what was then Persia. Today the largest national population of Bahá'ís is in India with between 1.7 million to over 2 million adherents. Significant populations exist in Vietnam and Malaysia where about 1% or some 260,000 of the population are Bahá'ís. In modern-day Iran the religion faces severe persecution. In neighboring Turkmenistan the faith is effectively banned and individuals have had their homes raided for literature.

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• 4. East Asian Philosophies

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  Confucianism was founded in ancient China by Confucius who lived from 551 B.C.E. to 479. This complex system permeated the culture and history of East Asia. It emphasizes family, social hierarchy, and personal integrity. Practices and attitudes manifest these values rather than institutions. It was considered the state religion of East Asian countries during certain periods. Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese diasporas have brought Confucianism globally. Laozi is traditionally regarded as the founder of Taoism though his existence is disputed. The work attributed to him, the Daodejing, dates to the late 4th century BC. Taoism emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao which means Way, Path, or Principle. It denotes both the source and driving force inherent in everything that exists. Propriety and ethics vary according to particular schools but generally emphasize wu-wei. Naturalness, simplicity, spontaneity, and compassion form core tenets. Significant communities exist in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and among diaspora groups. Chinese folk religion describes ethnic traditions main belief systems in China for most civilization history. Over 30% of the population adheres to folk religions or Taoism in China. Around 454 million people follow this tradition representing about 6.6% of the world population. Kami-no-michi is almost unique to Japan and the Japanese diaspora. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in written records of the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki in the 7th and 8th centuries. These earliest writings do not refer to a unified Shinto religion but rather disorganized folklore. Today it applies to public shrines suited for war memorials, harvest festivals, romance, and historical monuments. Surveys from 2006 and 2008 show only 3% to 3.9% of Japan's population are members of Shinto sects.

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• 5. Indigenous And Folk Beliefs

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  Korean Shamanism encompasses indigenous religious beliefs and practices of the Korean people. In contemporary South Korea the term Musok is most used while a shaman is known as a mudang. The role of the mudang usually acts as an intermediary between spirit entities and human beings. Women are enlisted by those seeking help from the spirit world. Shamans hold gut services to gain good fortune for clients. They cure illnesses by exorcising negative spirits that cling to people. Services also guide the spirit of a deceased person to higher realms. This religion remains a minority but has seen resurgence in recent years. Vietnamese folk religion represents the largest religion in Vietnam with about 45.3% of the population associated with it. It is not an organized system but a set of local worship traditions devoted to the thần. These gods can be nature deities or national community kinship tutelary deities. Ancestral gods are often deified heroic persons. Đạo Mẫu gives prominence to mother goddesses within its pantheon. The government of Vietnam categorizes Caodaism as a form of Vietnamese indigenous religion. It brings together worship of local spirits with Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Catholicism, Spiritism, and Theosophy.

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• 6. Iranian And Minority Groups

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  Zoroastrianism was once the state religion of the Persian Empire before becoming a minority faith. It worships Ahura Mazda and was founded by Zoroaster some time before the 6th century BC. The Creator Ahura Mazda is all good while evil originates separately from Him. Good and evil have distinct sources with evil trying to destroy creation. The most important texts are those of the Avesta though significant portions were lost. A 2004 estimate places the total number of adherents between 124,000 and 190,000 worldwide. Roughly half live in India among Parsi and Irani groups. The largest number of Zoroastrians in Asia can be found in India. According to the 2001 census they amounted to 69,000 people. In Iran there were some 25,000 according to the 2011 census. In 2012 numbers for Zoroastrians in Asia included India at 61,000 and Iran at 15,000 or 22,271. Druze are an Arabic-speaking esoteric ethnoreligious group originating in Western Asia. They self-identify as The People of Monotheism. Jethro of Midian is considered their spiritual founder and chief prophet. The number of Druze people worldwide ranges between 800,000 and one million. The vast majority reside in the Levant. Estimates suggest 40, 50% live in Syria while 30, 40% inhabit Lebanon. About 6, 7% reside in Israel and 1, 2% in Jordan. Lebanese Druze constitute about 5.2 percent or 250,000 people. Syrian Druze make up an estimated 3.2 percent of the population totaling approximately 700,000 persons. In 2019 there were 143,000 Druze living in Israel representing 1.6% of the total population.

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• 7. Irreligion And Demographics

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  According to a Pew Research Center survey from 2012 religiously unaffiliated populations make up about 21.2% of Asia's population. This includes agnostics and atheists within that demographic. Religious non-affiliation represents the majority of the population in four Asian countries or territories. North Korea reaches 71% unaffiliated while Japan stands at 57%. Hong Kong counts 56% and Mainland China 52%. Other sources indicate 59% of the People's Republic of China claim to be non-religious. Some Chinese define religion as practicing customs done for cultural reasons rather than conscious belief. A Dentsu statistic states 46% of Vietnamese and 51% of Japanese are irreligious. The percentage may be significantly greater up to 80% or smaller down to 30% in reality due to differing definitions of what constitutes religion among the populace.

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