Buddhism in Norway has existed since the beginning of the 1970s, after immigration from countries with Buddhist populations, mainly Vietnam. Buddhistforbundet (The Buddhist Federation) in Norway was established as a religious society in 1979 by two Buddhist groups (The Zen School and Karma Tashi Ling buddhistsenter) who wanted to create a common organization to preserve issues of common interest. As of 2013, there are between 30.000 and 50.000 (between 0.7%[1] and up to 1%[2] of the total population) registered Buddhists in Norway. Around 5% of them are Norwegians.[3]

The Vietnamese "Khuông Việt" pagoda at Løvenstad near Oslo, the only of its kind in Norway.

In 2017, it was estimated that there are approximately 2,000 ethnic Norwegians who have converted to the religion.[4] Buddhism is Norway's third-largest religion, after Christianity and Islam.[5]

Population

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By Electoral districts

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Electoral districts Total population Buddhist population Percent buddhist
Oslo 575,475 2,912 0.5%
Akershus 527,625 1,767 0.3%
Østfold 268,584 1,143 0.4%
Hordaland 469,681 952 0.2%
Rogaland 420,574 844 0.2%
Sør-Trøndelag 286,729 801 0.2%
Buskerud 254,634 774 0.3%
Vestfold 229,134 538 0.2%
Vest-Agder 168,233 512 0.3%
Telemark 167,548 379 0.2%
Hedmark 190,071 350 0.1%
Oppland 184,288 274 0.1%
Møre og Romsdal 248,727 246 0.0%
Aust-Agder 107,359 227 0.2%
Troms 155,553 177 0.1%
Nordland 235,380 131 0.0%
Nord-Trøndelag 130,708 104 0.0%
Finnmark 72,492 81 0.1%
Sogn og Fjordane 106,457 40 0.0%

By region

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County Total population Buddhist population Percent buddhist
Eastern Norway 2,397,359 8,137 0.3%
Western Norway 1,245,439 2,082 0.1%
Trøndelag 417,437 905 0.2%
Southern Norway 275,592 739 0.2%
Northern Norway 463,425 389 0.0%
Year Buddhists Percent
1990 3,012 0.07%
2000 7,031 0.16%
2005 9,471 0.20%
2010 13,376 0.27%
2019 21,555 0.40%

References

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  1. ^ "Religious Adherents, 2010 - Norway". World Christian Database. Archived from the original on 26 August 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  2. ^ Eurobarometer Biotechnology report 2010 Archived 2016-06-24 at the Wayback Machine p.381
  3. ^ "Feiret Buddha fødselsdag / Flere og flere nordmenn konverterer til buddhismen". Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2010-07-24.
  4. ^ Janus, Louis (2013). "Norwegian Grammar: Bokmål by Per Moen, Per-Bjørn Pedersen". Scandinavian Studies. 85 (4): 532–535. doi:10.1353/scd.2013.0032. ISSN 2163-8195.
  5. ^ "Petroleum Exploration and Exploitation in Norway - Proceedings of the Norwegian Petroleum Society Conference, 9-11 December 1991, Stavanger, Norway". Norwegian Petroleum Society Special Publications. 4. 1995. doi:10.1016/s0928-8937(05)x8058-4. ISBN 978-0-444-81596-5. ISSN 0928-8937.
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