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2007: a survey conducted by the East China Normal University taking into account people from different regions of China, concluded that there were approximately 300 million religious believers (≈31% of the total population), of whom the vast majority ascribable to Buddhism, Taoism and folk religions.
Aug 30, 2023 · By virtue of its huge population, China is important to any effort to assess global religious trends. But determining how many people in China are religious today, and whether their religious identities, beliefs and practices have changed over the past decade, is difficult for many reasons.
- Reem Nadeem
Oct 23, 2023 · China’s constitution says ordinary citizens enjoy “freedom of religious beliefs” and the government officially recognizes five religions: Buddhism, Catholicism, Islam, Protestantism and Daoism (also called Taoism). But authorities closely police religious activity.
- History of Religion in China
- State Atheism and Religious Policies in China
- Confucianism
- Buddhism
- Christianity
- Islam
- Folk Religion
- Other Religions in China
- Sources
China’s first religions were ancient forms of animism and shamanism. As the centuries progressed, religion adopted more complex systems of belief and practice. Notably, the Zhou dynasty, which predates the Warring States period in China, saw the manifestation of the Mandate of Heaven, the philosophical belief that legitimized the power of the rulin...
According to recent demographic reports, 52% of Chinese people are religiously unaffiliated, highlighting the official religion of China, atheism. However, there are five state-sanctioned religious affiliations under which all other religious organizations must register. These five religions are Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, Protestantism, and Isl...
Though not formally recognized as a religion by the Chinese government, Confucianism has had an undeniable impact on Chinese history and culture since its conception by the Chinese philosopher Confucius around 479 BC. The primary goal of Confucianismis to achieve social harmony through the strict observance of rituals and deference to social hierar...
Buddhism is the largest religious organization in China, though only about 18.2% of the population identifies as Buddhist. Buddhism in China is largely of the Mahayana school, though there are minority groups of Theravada Buddhists, mostly concentrated in the southern parts of the country. There are two significant sub-organizations of Mahayana Bud...
European Jesuits are considered to be the first Christians to preach in China, arriving during the 16th century and taking up council with the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. However, some sources indicate groups of Chinese Christians dating back to the 7th century. Today, about 5.1% of the population identifies as Christian, though this number is lik...
About 1.8% of Chinese people identify as Muslim. The majority of Muslims in China are Sunni, and most are ethnic minorities. Uighurand Hui Muslims are the largest Muslim ethnic minorities, but there are also significant numbers of Kazakh Muslims. Muslims in China face strong persecution and religious discrimination as a result of what the Chinese g...
Approximately 21.9% of Chinese people identify as followers of folk religion, also known as Chinese popular religion. Like other religious statistics, this number is likely to be understated, as many Chinese people view traditional practices to be cultural rather than religious. Most followers of folk religion are ethnically Han Chinese. Though fol...
Only about 1% of Chinese people identify as another religion, but this number is difficult to determine considering the legal status of religions in China. These other religions include Falun Gong, Hinduism, Judaism, Shinto, Zoroastrianism, and a handful of indigenous faiths. Notably, Falun Gong—a spiritual practice associated with Buddhism and Tao...
Albert, Eleanor. “The State of Religion in China.” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, 2018.Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. 2018 Report on International Religious Freedom: China. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of State, 2019.Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook: China. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency, 2019.Johnson, Ian. The Souls of China: the Return of Religion after Mao. Vintage Books, 2018.- Mckenzie Perkins
May 15, 2024 · The state recognizes five religions: Buddhism, Catholicism, Daoism, Islam, and Protestantism. The practice of any other faith is formally prohibited, although often tolerated, especially in the...
- Eleanor Albert
Jul 9, 2019 · Today, the Communist Party of China acknowledges five religions in the country. These religious beliefs are Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Taoism, and Buddhism. Although, the present leaders and the Party give more credence to Confucianism and Chinese folk beliefs that include some Tibetan deities. These deities include wealth gods as well.
Aug 30, 2023 · According to China’s State Council Information Office (SCIO), the total number of religious sites registered with the five official religious associations increased by 11%, from about 130,000 in 2009 to 144,000 in 2018, largely due to a surge in Buddhist and Taoist temples.
