Buddhist Population in India
According to the census of India 2011, the Buddhist population in India is around 8.4 million which is around 0.7% of the total population, which makes Buddhism a minority religion in India. The majority of Buddhists in India are concentrated in the northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Nagaland, as well as in Maharashtra, West Bengal, and the union territory of Ladakh. The Buddhism in India has a long history, it was brought to India by Emperor Ashoka in 3rd century BC . And it's believed that the Buddhism reached its peak in India during the reign of Ashoka and his son, but it's been declining in India since 12th century AD and it's been replaced by Hinduism and Islam.
| State | Total Population | Buddhist Population | Buddhist % | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sikkim | 610,577 | 167,216 | 27.39 % | Significant |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 1,383,727 | 162,815 | 11.77 % | Significant |
| Mizoram | 1,097,206 | 93,411 | 8.51 % | Significant |
| Maharashtra | 112,374,333 | 6,531,200 | 5.81 % | Significant |
| Tripura | 3,673,917 | 125,385 | 3.41 % | Minority |
| Himachal Pradesh | 6,864,602 | 78,659 | 1.15 % | Negligible |
| Jammu and Kashmir | 12,541,302 | 112,584 | 0.90 % | Negligible |
| Nagaland | 1,978,502 | 6,759 | 0.34 % | Negligible |
| Meghalaya | 2,966,889 | 9,864 | 0.33 % | Negligible |
| West Bengal | 91,276,115 | 282,898 | 0.31 % | Negligible |
| Madhya Pradesh | 72,626,809 | 216,052 | 0.30 % | Negligible |
| Chhattisgarh | 25,545,198 | 70,467 | 0.28 % | Negligible |
| Manipur | 2,855,794 | 7,084 | 0.25 % | Negligible |
| Assam | 31,205,576 | 54,993 | 0.18 % | Negligible |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli | 343,709 | 634 | 0.18 % | Negligible |
| Karnataka | 61,095,297 | 95,710 | 0.16 % | Negligible |
| Uttarakhand | 10,086,292 | 14,926 | 0.15 % | Negligible |
| Punjab | 27,743,338 | 33,237 | 0.12 % | Negligible |
| Delhi | 16,787,941 | 18,449 | 0.11 % | Negligible |
| Chandigarh | 1,055,450 | 1,160 | 0.11 % | Negligible |
| Uttar Pradesh | 199,812,341 | 206,285 | 0.10 % | Negligible |
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 380,581 | 338 | 0.09 % | Negligible |
| Daman and Diu | 243,247 | 217 | 0.09 % | Negligible |
| Goa | 1,458,545 | 1,095 | 0.08 % | Negligible |
| Gujarat | 60,439,692 | 30,483 | 0.05 % | Negligible |
| Andhra Pradesh | 84,580,777 | 36,692 | 0.04 % | Negligible |
| Puducherry | 1,247,953 | 451 | 0.04 % | Negligible |
| Orissa | 41,974,218 | 13,852 | 0.03 % | Negligible |
| Jharkhand | 32,988,134 | 8,956 | 0.03 % | Negligible |
| Haryana | 25,351,462 | 7,514 | 0.03 % | Negligible |
| Bihar | 104,099,452 | 25,453 | 0.02 % | Negligible |
| Tamil Nadu | 72,147,030 | 11,186 | 0.02 % | Negligible |
| Rajasthan | 68,548,437 | 12,185 | 0.02 % | Negligible |
| Lakshadweep | 64,473 | 10 | 0.02 % | Negligible |
| Kerala | 33,406,061 | 4,752 | 0.01 % | Negligible |