Buddhist life, understood through data.
Census 2020: the percentage of all residents in each area who reported Buddhism as their religion. These are historical census figures, not current estimates or measures of religious practice.
Buddhist share (%)
Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia, OpenDOSM Kawasanku. Percentages are rounded to one decimal for display; downloads retain the source precision. A percentage-point difference is the subtraction of two percentages. It is not a percentage change.
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0% — 100% · Census year: 2020
Compare
Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia, OpenDOSM Kawasanku. Percentages are rounded to one decimal for display; downloads retain the source precision. A percentage-point difference is the subtraction of two percentages. It is not a percentage change.
Download · Source
| State / federal territory | Buddhist share (%) | Total population | Buddhist population | Buddhist population · Male | Buddhist population · Female | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malaysia | 18.7% | 32,447,385 | 6,066,784 | 3,132,453 | 2,934,331 | OpenDOSM ↗ DOSM · 85–87 ↗ |
| Johor | 28.7% | 4,009,670 | 1,150,804 | 598,521 | 552,283 | OpenDOSM ↗ DOSM · 85–87 ↗ |
| Kedah | 12.4% | 2,131,427 | 263,976 | 133,880 | 130,096 | OpenDOSM ↗ DOSM · 85–87 ↗ |
| Kelantan | 2.8% | 1,792,501 | 50,725 | 25,687 | 25,038 | OpenDOSM ↗ DOSM · 85–87 ↗ |
| Melaka | 19.2% | 998,428 | 191,717 | 97,832 | 93,885 | OpenDOSM ↗ DOSM · 85–87 ↗ |
| Negeri Sembilan | 19.9% | 1,199,974 | 238,283 | 122,718 | 115,565 | OpenDOSM ↗ DOSM · 85–87 ↗ |
| Pahang | 13.6% | 1,591,295 | 215,677 | 113,789 | 101,888 | OpenDOSM ↗ DOSM · 85–87 ↗ |
| Perak | 24.2% | 2,496,041 | 602,911 | 305,942 | 296,969 | OpenDOSM ↗ DOSM · 85–87 ↗ |
| Perlis | 9.2% | 284,885 | 26,199 | 13,353 | 12,846 | OpenDOSM ↗ DOSM · 85–87 ↗ |
| Pulau Pinang | 37.6% | 1,740,405 | 654,808 | 334,863 | 319,945 | OpenDOSM ↗ DOSM · 85–87 ↗ |
| Sabah | 5.1% | 3,418,785 | 173,241 | 91,716 | 81,525 | OpenDOSM ↗ DOSM · 85–87 ↗ |
| Sarawak | 12.8% | 2,453,677 | 314,679 | 163,423 | 151,256 | OpenDOSM ↗ DOSM · 85–87 ↗ |
| Selangor | 21.6% | 6,994,423 | 1,512,554 | 787,595 | 724,959 | OpenDOSM ↗ DOSM · 85–87 ↗ |
| Terengganu | 2.0% | 1,149,440 | 23,382 | 12,898 | 10,484 | OpenDOSM ↗ DOSM · 85–87 ↗ |
| W.P. Kuala Lumpur | 32.3% | 1,982,112 | 639,619 | 326,626 | 312,993 | OpenDOSM ↗ DOSM · 85–87 ↗ |
| W.P. Labuan | 8.1% | 95,120 | 7,676 | 3,345 | 4,331 | OpenDOSM ↗ DOSM · 85–87 ↗ |
| W.P. Putrajaya | 0.5% | 109,202 | 533 | 265 | 268 | OpenDOSM ↗ DOSM · 85–87 ↗ |
OpenDOSM: 2025-10-31 · Source: 2026-10-12
Directory · Coverage
453 directory entries are not 453 unique organisations or a census of temples. Some names occur in multiple sources. The directory has uneven coverage and does not confirm current activity, registration or accessibility.
Published census series · Malaysia
Historical figures are not evidence of conversions. Changes in population, reporting and census classifications can affect comparisons.
| Census year | Buddhist population | Buddhist share (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2,635,386 | 25.5% |
| 1980 | 2,265,457 | 17.3% |
| 1991 | 3,222,045 | 18.4% |
| 2000 | 4,197,149 | 18.9% |
| 2010 | 5,446,856 | 19.8% |
| 2020 | 6,066,784 | 18.7% |