Religion in South East Asia

 

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With more than 650 million people living in the region, majority of them follow Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam with other religions like Christianity, Confucionism, Taoism and Animism existing as minorities amongst a few countries. Islam acts as a state religion for Brunei and Malaysia while Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand follow Buddhism as their official religion. 

Chinese and Indian ideologies spread all over Southeast Asia through the medium of trade during the 1st, 2nd and 3rd centuries. Today, Buddhism is the most important and second largest religion in the region. Buddhists in Southeast Asia widely follow the Theravada Buddhism while Mahayana Buddhism remains a relic minority in Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam due to the Chinese influence. Similarly, Hinduism and Islam paved their way into the region and was adapted and evolved by the people in their own cultural forms. This can be studied from the most notable architectural establishments of Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Borobudur in Indonesia.