Buddhism by the Numbers: Australia

Buddhism in Australia:

When the first Buddhists—Chinese gold miners—arrived in Australia: 1840s

Percentage of Christmas Island residents who identify as Buddhist: 18.3%

Sister Dhammadinna, an American-born Buddhist nun, became one of the first dharma teachers in Australia and held the first modern Vesak celebration: 1951

Percentage of Australians who identify as Buddhists: 2.4%

The number of Buddhist institutions on the continent: 549

How long a Sri Lankan bodhi tree sapling spent in quarantine from 2021–2022: 12 months. (The tree will be planted at The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo, Victoria.)

Number of Tricycle subscribers: 691

View past installments of Buddhism by the Numbers: 30 Years of Tricycle, Climate Change and Pilgrimage Sites, COVID-19, The Economics of Mindfulness, Oregon, New York, Armenia, Hawaii, California.

♦

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Index Mundi, ABC, Dhammasara Nuns Monastery, and Developments in Australian Buddhism by Michelle Spuler