Buddhism in the Middle East

It is estimated that in the Middle East around 900,000 people, perhaps more, profess Buddhism as their religion. Buddhist adherents make up just over 0.3% of the total population of the Middle East. Many of these Buddhists are workers who have migrated from Asia to the Middle East in the last 20 years, many from countries that have large Buddhist populations, such as China, Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. A small number of engineers, company directors, and managers from Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and South Korea have also moved to the Middle East.

Demographics

Theravada Buddhism is the predominant religion of workers from Thailand and Sri Lanka. Mahayana Buddhism is the predominant religion of workers from East Asia and Vietnam, although Taoism, Confucianism, and Shinto are also represented among these people. In Dubai (the United Arab Emirates) and Qatar, the workers from Sri Lanka were allowed to celebrate Vesak (the most important holiday in Buddhism) in those Islamic countries.

Buddhism in Saudi Arabia

Main article: Buddhism in Saudi Arabia

The U.S. State Department's International Religious Freedom Report 2007 estimates that more than 8 million foreigners are living and working in Saudi Arabia, including Muslims and non-Muslims.

In addition to 400,000 Sri Lankans, there are a few thousand Buddhist workers from East Asia, the majority of whom are Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai. A number of Tibetan-Nepalese immigrants may also be among the foreign population of Saudi Arabia.

Thus approximately 1.5% of Saudi Arabia's population – or around 400,000 people – are Buddhist, likely giving Saudi Arabia the largest Buddhist community in either the Middle East or the Arab World

Buddhist population by country

Buddhist percentages in the Middle East

  Saudi Arabia (45.9%)

  United Arab Emirates (24.6%)

  Kuwait (11.1%)

  Turkey (7.9%)

  Qatar (5%)

  Oman (3.6%)

  Bahrain (0.8%)

  Israel (0.7%)

  Lebanon (0.4%)

Buddhism by country in the Middle East

Country	Population (2007E)	% of Buddhists	Buddhist total
United Arab Emirates	4,444,011	5%	222,201
Qatar	907,229	5%	45,361
Kuwait	2,505,559	4%	100,222
Saudi Arabia	27,601,038	1.5%	414,016
Bahrain	753,000	1%	7,530
Oman	3,204,897	1%	32,049
Israel	6,426,679	0.1%	6,426
Lebanon	3,925,502	0.1%	3,926
Turkey	71,158,647	0.1%	71,159
Total	285,194,911	0.32%	902,890

External links

• Buddhist pagodas or temples in Middle East

References

• The U.S. State Department's International Religious Freedom Report 2006
• CIA FactBook
• Religious Freedom page
• Religious Intelligence