Buddhism is declining in East Asia as younger generations increasingly abandon religious identity, contributing to the only major world religion that saw a drop in adherents globally between 2010 and 2020, according to research by the Pew Research Center.
The decline is particularly visible in Japan and South Korea, where growing numbers of adults raised in Buddhist households now identify as religiously unaffiliated, describing themselves as atheist, agnostic, or as having no religion.
In Japan, 40 percent of adults who were brought up as Buddhists are now religiously unaffiliated, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in 2024. In South Korea, the figure is 42 percent.
Researchers say the shift often happens gradually, shaped by generational change, urban migration, and evolving attitudes toward religion rather than formal conversions.
In interviews conducted by Pew in Tokyo and Seoul, several adults who grew up in Buddhist families described drifting away from religious practice over time.
Sunwoo Lee, a college student in Seoul raised in a Buddhist family, said religion no longer plays a role in her life.
“I’ve always thought that it’s better to live focusing on this world. That’s why I don’t have a religion,” Lee said. “I tend to believe in science more than anything spiritual, so I don’t believe in things that you can’t see.”
Survey data show that younger adults in both countries are significantly less likely than older generations to identify as Buddhist, visit temples, or pray to Buddha.
Some interviewees said the pace of modern life leaves little time for religious practice.
“I don’t remember going to the temple with my kids,” said Jeongnam Oh, a retired shop owner in Seoul. “The kids needed to stay focused on their studies, and I had a life of my own.… It was hard to make time together.”
Others pointed to broader social changes, including shrinking families and weakening ties to extended relatives.
“The family system is breaking down, so people don’t see their relatives anymore,” said Chieko Nakajima, a restaurant owner in Tokyo. “That’s why those unique family traditions, at least here in Tokyo, are quickly fading away.”
Even among those who no longer identify as Buddhist, some say cultural or personal ties to the tradition remain.
“I wouldn’t say I’m a Buddhist, but … the prayer I have in my heart, I think still leans toward Buddhism,” Oh said.
