Of the 69.8 million people living in Thailand today, the population is 92.5 percent Buddhist, 5.4 percent Muslim, and 1.2 percent Christian. But there are other religions incorporated into these religions as well. For example, some Buddhists follow Hinduism as part of their religion as well. Some other religions that aren’t as significant but are still followed in Thailand include Animism, Confucianism, Judaism, Sikhism, and Taoism.

Thailand has the second largest population of Buddhism followers, with the first being China. The main school of Buddhism followed in Thailand, however, is Theravada Buddhism. Theravada Buddhism is practiced in many countries all over the world including Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand, and has a long history. In Thailand, there are two main sections of Theravada Buddhism: Mahanikaya and Dhammayuttika. Dhammayuttika Buddhism is more recent than Mahanikaya Buddhism and was created by King Mongkut in the 1830s. He founded this section of Buddhism to attempt to encourage monks to follow a more disciplined lifestyle according to Buddha. Mahanikaya Buddhism is much older but is very similar to Dhammayuttika Buddhism. The small differences they have may largely be attributed to a difference in discipline.

Islam in Thailand is said to have been spread to the Malay Peninsula by Arab traders in the 13 th century. This religion is mostly found in the southern provinces such as Narathiwat, Yala, and Pattani. Most Thai Muslims are of Malay descent, and this could be because of Thailand’s shared border with Malaysia. There are mosques spread throughout Thailand for which funds are provided by the government. Muslims in Thailand receive state support, and government-employed Muslims are allowed to leave work for important religious festivals. They are also permitted to leave their jobs early on Fridays for the Muslim holy day. The Muslim population in Thailand is growing and is expected to continue to grow as time passes.

In 1518, Portuguese missionaries attempted to bring Christianity to Thailand. When they arrived, the Thai king supported them and helped provide them with funds to build churches. But, once this king died, they were no longer supported, and the missionaries were expelled or killed. Later, in 1780, King Taksin permitted the entrance of French missionaries, and like before, assisted in the building of churches. At that time, there were only about 1,000 Thai Christians located in Bangkok. However, it was not until the 1970s that Christianity started to grow significantly. Today, most followers of Christianity are ethnic Chinese, and more than half are Roman Catholic. Even though Christianity in Thailand continues to grow, it does not compare to the large number of adherents to Buddhism in the country.

Overall, all three of these religions seem to bring positive aspects to Thailand. It appears that the government allows these different religions to exist in harmony and gives the people in Thailand the freedom to worship whatever and whomever they want to. However, Buddhism remains the dominant religion of Thailand and is currently the most widely followed in the region.