Estimated number of temples: 9,000
Portion of the population that identifies as Buddhist: 21%
The number of Buddhist media outlets: At least four
- Buddhist Broadcasting System
- Buddhist Cable TV Network
- Buddhist Television Network
- Hyundae Bulgyo Buddhist Newspaper
The year Buddhism was first introduced to Korea by a monk traveling from China: 372 CE
The country’s highest pagoda (Palsangjeon, at Beopjusa Temple): 74.5 feet
The approximate number of wood blocks used in the 13th century to carve the Tripitaka Koreana, the Korean (Mahayana) canon: 80,000
Number of temples participating in Templestay, a cultural program that allows visitors to experience monastic life: 32
Number of Tricycle subscribers: 10
View past installments of Buddhism by the Numbers: The Economics of Mindfulness, Kentucky and the African Great Lakes Region.
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Data from BuddhaNet, Korean Census (2005), Asia Society, Korean General Social Survey (2016), Templestay, and BBC.