Religion in Malaysia
Malaysia has a population of just over 26 million (2006). According to government census figures, in 2005 approximately 58 percent of the population are Muslim; 22.9 percent practice Buddhism; 11.1 percent Christianity; 6.3 percent Hinduism; and 2.6 percent Confucianism, Taoism, and other traditional Chinese religions. The remaining percentages were accounted for by other faiths, including animism, Sikhism and the Bahá'í Faith. However, this figure may be misleading as all Malays (the majority race of the country) are required to be Muslim as defined by the Constitution of Malaysia.
Additionally, many of the Chinese community, which comprises the bulk of the Buddhist population, actually practise a mixture of Buddhism, Taoism and Chinese folk religion. As there is no official name for this particular set of beliefs, many followers instead list down their religion as Buddhism, mainly for bureaucratic convenience.
See also
- Islam in Malaysia
- Buddhism in Malaysia
- Christianity in Malaysia
- Hinduism in Malaysia
- Animism in Malaysia
- History of the Jews in Malaysia
- Datuk Keramat
