{"id":184361,"date":"2024-08-19T09:45:39","date_gmt":"2024-08-19T13:45:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?p=184361"},"modified":"2025-08-14T11:27:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T15:27:08","slug":"buddhist-migrants-around-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2024\/08\/19\/buddhist-migrants-around-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"7. Buddhist migrants around the world"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-width:1px;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);--block-gap: inherit\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible has-background has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-border-color has-ui-beige-dark-border-color\" id=\"who-are-migrants\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/collapsible&quot;}\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;collapsibleId&quot;:&quot;who-are-migrants&quot;,&quot;isOpen&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-open=\"context.isOpen\" data-wp-init--scroll-into-view=\"callbacks.onInitScrollIntoView\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__title\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClick\"><div>Who are migrants?<\/div><button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__icon\"><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"context.isOpen\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-plus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-plus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!context.isOpen\" hidden><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-minus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-minus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><\/button><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__content\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The United Nations counts <strong>international migrants<\/strong> as people of any age who live outside their country (or in some cases, territory) of birth \u2013 regardless of their motives for migrating, their length of residence or their legal status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to naturalized citizens and permanent residents, the UN\u2019s international migrant numbers include asylum-seekers and refugees, as well as people without official residence documents. The UN also includes some people who live in a country temporarily \u2013 like some students and guest workers \u2013 but it does not include short-term visitors like tourists, nor does it typically include military forces deployed abroad.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For brevity, this report refers to international migrants simply as <strong>migrants. <\/strong>Occasionally, we use the term <strong>immigrants<\/strong> to differentiate migrants living in a <em>destination country<\/em> from <strong>emigrants<\/strong> who have left an <em>origin country<\/em>. Every person who is living outside of his or her country of birth is all three \u2013 a migrant, an immigrant and an emigrant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The analysis in this report focuses on existing <strong>stocks<\/strong> of international migrants \u2013 all people who now live outside their birth country, no matter when they left. We do not estimate migration <strong>flows<\/strong> \u2013 how many people move across borders in any single year.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The world\u2019s 10.9 million Buddhist migrants make up 4% of all international migrants, about the same as their share of the global population (4%), as of 2020.[20. numoffset=&#8221;20&#8243; This report presents interim estimates of the overall population in each religious group (including migrants and nonmigrants) using data from three Pew Research Center studies: \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2015\/04\/02\/religious-projections-2010-2050\/\">The Future of World Religions<\/a>\u201d (projections of religious composition to the year 2020 published in 2015), \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2022\/09\/13\/modeling-the-future-of-religion-in-america\/\">Modeling the Future of Religion in America<\/a>\u201d (2022) and \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2023\/08\/30\/measuring-religion-in-china\/\">Measuring Religion in China<\/a>\u201d (2023). In the future, the Center will produce new estimates of the overall size of religious groups in 2020, based on data sources that have become available in recent years. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2024\/08\/19\/religious-composition-migrants-methodology\/\">Methodology<\/a> for details.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Buddhist migrants have moved an average of 2,400 miles from their country of origin, roughly the same as Christians, Jews and the religiously unaffiliated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unlike other faith groups who are more scattered across the globe, Buddhist migrants are heavily concentrated in the Asia-Pacific region (72%). Outside Asia, the most common destinations of Buddhist migrants are North America (14%) and Europe (12%). A small share of Buddhist migrants live in Latin America and the Caribbean (1%), and even fewer reside in sub-Saharan Africa or the Middle East-North Africa region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=184504\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e4eaee\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e4eaee;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/08\/PR_2024.08.19_religious-composition-migrants_7-01.png?resize=480,284 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/08\/PR_2024.08.19_religious-composition-migrants_7-01.png?resize=782,463 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/08\/PR_2024.08.19_religious-composition-migrants_7-01.png?resize=960,569 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/08\/PR_2024.08.19_religious-composition-migrants_7-01.png?resize=1200,711 1200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/08\/PR_2024.08.19_religious-composition-migrants_7-01.png?resize=1280,758 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"379\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/08\/PR_2024.08.19_religious-composition-migrants_7-01.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Bubble chart showing the regions where Buddhist migrants now live and where they came from\" class=\"wp-image-184504 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The vast majority of Buddhist migrants (96%) come from countries in Asia \u2013 the birthplace of Buddhism. Smaller shares of Buddhist migrants were born in Europe (2%), Latin America or North America (0.5% each), and the Middle East-North Africa region or sub-Saharan Africa (less than 0.5% each).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;destinations&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"destinations\">Destinations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Like migrants of other religions, Buddhists often leave their home country for wealthier economies where they can find jobs more easily. In these places, Buddhists usually make up a minority of the overall population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=184505\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f2efeb\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f2efeb;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/08\/PR_2024.08.19_religious-composition-migrants_7-02.png?resize=480,552 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/08\/PR_2024.08.19_religious-composition-migrants_7-02.png?resize=782,899 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/08\/PR_2024.08.19_religious-composition-migrants_7-02.png?resize=840,966 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"483\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/08\/PR_2024.08.19_religious-composition-migrants_7-02.png?w=840\" alt=\"Bar chart showing the top 10 destinations of Buddhist migrants\" class=\"wp-image-184505 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thailand is the most popular destination for Buddhist migrants, hosting 30% (3.3 million) \u2013 including many <a href=\"https:\/\/thailand.un.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2020-06\/Thailand-Migration-Report-2019.pdf\">migrant workers<\/a> from neighboring Myanmar (also called Burma), Laos and Cambodia. Of the 10 leading destinations for Buddhist migrants, only Thailand has a majority Buddhist population, with about <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2023\/09\/12\/religious-landscape-and-change\/\">90% of adults there identifying as Buddhist<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is also relatively common for Buddhist migrants to have moved to other stable economies in the Asia-Pacific region, including Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Singapore \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/worldpopulationreview.com\/country-rankings\/richest-asian-countries\">Asia\u2019s richest country on a per capita basis<\/a> \u2013 is the third-most common destination for Buddhist migrants (after the U.S.), with 1.0 million. South Korea and Hong Kong are home to 390,000 and 280,000 Buddhist migrants, respectively. (Taiwan is excluded from the analysis because migration stock information for Taiwan is not available from the UN.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. is home to an estimated 1.3 million Buddhist migrants, making it their second-most common destination. Most Buddhist migrants to the U.S. were born in Vietnam (670,000) or China (320,000).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;origins&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"origins\">Origins<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Myanmar, where Buddhists make up 80% of the population, is the leading country of origin for Buddhist migrants. As of 2020, about 2 million Buddhists born in Myanmar live elsewhere, accounting for 19% of all Buddhist migrants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=184506\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f2ece4\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f2ece4;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/08\/PR_2024.08.19_religious-composition-migrants_7-03.png?resize=480,589 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/08\/PR_2024.08.19_religious-composition-migrants_7-03.png?resize=782,959 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/08\/PR_2024.08.19_religious-composition-migrants_7-03.png?resize=840,1030 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"515\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/08\/PR_2024.08.19_religious-composition-migrants_7-03.png?w=835\" alt=\"Bar chart showing the top 10 origins of Buddhist migrants\" class=\"wp-image-184506 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Four other <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2023\/09\/12\/buddhism-islam-and-religious-pluralism-in-south-and-southeast-asia\/\">Buddhist-majority countries<\/a> are the source of roughly a quarter of all the Buddhists who now live outside their country of birth: Thailand (670,000), Laos (990,000), Cambodia (810,000) and Sri Lanka (340,00o).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">China \u2013 where <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2023\/08\/30\/buddhism\/\">just 4% of adults identified with Buddhism in the 2018 Chinese General Social Survey<\/a> \u2013 is the second-most common country of origin for Buddhist migrants (with 1.9 million) as of 2020, due in part to the sheer size of its overall population.[21. UN data for China does not include Hong Kong and Macao. Refer to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/development\/desa\/pd\/global-migration-database\">United Nations Global Migration Database<\/a>.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vietnam is the third-most common source of Buddhist migrants (1.3 million), followed by Laos and Cambodia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Malaysia is another top country of origin for Buddhist migrants (770,000). Buddhists from Malaysia typically move to neighboring Singapore, where demand for foreign workers is strong and ethnic Chinese make up a majority of the general population (74%).&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most Buddhists in Malaysia belong to the country\u2019s ethnic Chinese minority, and they have <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1111\/1467-923X.13145\">historically faced discrimination<\/a> from the ethnic Malay majority, which is predominantly Muslim. While only about <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2023\/09\/12\/religious-landscape-and-change\/\">7% of adults in Malaysia identify as Buddhist<\/a>, Buddhists make up 37% of emigrants from there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;country-pairs&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"country-pairs\">Country pairs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As of 2020, Buddhist migrants most commonly have moved from Myanmar to Thailand (1.7 million), and from Laos to Thailand (0.9 million).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=184507\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f2eeea\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f2eeea;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/08\/PR_2024.08.19_religious-composition-migrants_7-04.png?resize=480,503 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/08\/PR_2024.08.19_religious-composition-migrants_7-04.png?resize=782,819 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/08\/PR_2024.08.19_religious-composition-migrants_7-04.png?resize=840,880 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"440\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/08\/PR_2024.08.19_religious-composition-migrants_7-04.png?w=840\" alt=\"Bar charts showing the top 10 routes of Buddhist migrants\" class=\"wp-image-184507 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About 690,000 Buddhists born in Malaysia now reside in Singapore, making this the third-most common path for Buddhist migrants. A similar number of Vietnamese Buddhists \u2013 who started to arrive after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2023\/07\/19\/vietnamese-americans-views-of-vietnam-and-other-places\/\">now live in the U.S.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These country pairs show Buddhists moving in search of economic opportunity. For instance, over 3.2 million Buddhists have migrated from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar \u2013 each with <a href=\"https:\/\/data.worldbank.org\/indicator\/SI.POV.NAHC?locations=KH-LA-MM\">around 20% of the population living in poverty<\/a> \u2013 to Thailand, where wages are often higher and access to jobs is easier. Meanwhile, fewer than 40,000 Buddhists have left Thailand and moved to Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;change-since-1990&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"change-since-1990\">Change since 1990<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Between 1990 and 2020, the number of Buddhist migrants around the world more than doubled \u2013 from 4.6 million to 10.9 million (up 137%) \u2013 making Buddhist migrants the fastest-growing group in this analysis, ahead of Muslims (up 102%) and Christians (up 80%). But because Buddhist migrants are a very small group, they grew only slightly as a percentage of all global migrants, from 3% to 4%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=184508\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f2f1ef\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f2f1ef;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/08\/PR_2024.08.19_religious-composition-migrants_7-05.png?resize=480,535 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/08\/PR_2024.08.19_religious-composition-migrants_7-05.png?resize=782,871 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/08\/PR_2024.08.19_religious-composition-migrants_7-05.png?resize=840,936 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"468\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/08\/PR_2024.08.19_religious-composition-migrants_7-05.png?w=840\" alt=\"Line chart showing the growth of Buddhist migrants to Thailand slowed considerably in the most recent decade\" class=\"wp-image-184508 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Growth in the past three decades has largely been driven by labor migration to Thailand from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. In the 1990s, <a href=\"https:\/\/documents1.worldbank.org\/curated\/en\/855161479736248522\/pdf\/110396-REVISED-v1-4-26-WB-TH-SCD-REPORT-BOOKLET-159PAGE-RevisedApr26.pdf\">Thailand\u2019s economy grew rapidly<\/a>, and in the early 2000s, the Thai government prioritized <a href=\"https:\/\/myanmar.un.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2023-12\/undp-seeking_opportunities_elsewhere_final.pdf\">policies to recruit workers<\/a> from these neighboring countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The stock of Buddhist migrants living in Thailand has surged from 450,000 in 1990 to 3.3 million in 2020 \u2013 a 630% rise. In that time, Thailand has become the top destination for Buddhist migrants, with its share of all foreign-born Buddhists rising from 10% to 30%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Singapore \u2013 a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2023\/10\/06\/in-singapore-religious-diversity-and-tolerance-go-hand-in-hand\/\">religiously diverse and multicultural<\/a> international financial center \u2013 saw its stock of Buddhist migrants jump from around 280,000 in 1990 to 1.0 million in 2020 (up 263%). The growth of the Buddhist migrant population in Singapore is on pace with that of total immigrants in the country, which rose from 0.7 million to 2.5 million. Overall migration growth in Singapore during this span is largely a result of the country\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/thedocs.worldbank.org\/en\/doc\/080a4bc64cc8a9eb8a2a0e98d97a260a-0050062023\/original\/WDR-Immigration-in-Singapore-FORMATTED.pdf\">reliance on foreign workers for economic growth<\/a>. (Immigrants make up over 40% of Singapore\u2019s total population, with Malaysia being the main source.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S., which was the second-most popular destination for Buddhists both in 1990 and in 2020, saw its Buddhist migrant population rise from 0.6 million to 1.3 million (up 112%).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While these countries experienced an influx of Buddhist migrants, India saw a considerable decline. In 1990, India had the largest number of foreign-born Buddhists \u2013 largely due to the effects of the 1947 Partition, when Buddhists from what are now Pakistan and Bangladesh settled within the new borders of India. In 1990, there were nearly 1 million Buddhist migrants living in India. By 2020, many had died, and their number had declined to 640,000 (down 35%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Generally, the <em>flow <\/em>of Buddhist migrants has slowed in recent years. The change is particularly pronounced in Thailand. By decade, the total number of Buddhist migrants in Thailand grew by 660,000 (up 145%) from 1990 to 2000 and by an additional 1.8 million (up 166%) in the following decade. But it increased by just 360,000 (or 12%) between 2010 and 2020.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Buddhist migrants \u2013 who make up 4% of all migrants \u2013 are heavily concentrated in the Asia-Pacific 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