The Pha That Luang (Golden Stupa), a Buddhist stupa that is a national symbol of Laos.
Religion in Laos (Pew Research Center 2015)[1]
Theravada Buddhism (66.0%)
Tai folk religion (30.7%)
Christianity (1.5%)
other religions/not stated (1.8%)
Theravada Buddhism is the largest and dominant religion in Laos. Theravada Buddhism is central to Lao cultural identity. The national symbol of Laos is the That Luang stupa, a stupa with a pyramidal base capped by the representation of a closed lotus blossom which was built to protect relics of the Buddha. It is practiced by 66% of the population.[2] Almost all ethnic or "lowland" Lao (Lao Loum and Lao Lom) are followers of Theravada Buddhism; however, they constitute only 40-50% of the population.[3] The remainder of the population belongs to at least 48 distinct ethnic minority groups.[3] Most of these ethnic groups are practitioners of Tai folk religions, with beliefs that vary greatly among groups.[3]
Tai folk religion is predominant among northern groups of Tai people, such as the Thai Dam and Thai Daeng, as well as among Mon-Khmer and Tibeto-Burman groups.[3] Even among lowland Lao, many pre-Buddhist phi religious beliefs have been incorporated into Theravada Buddhist practice.[3] Catholics and Protestants constitute between 1% and 2% of the population.[3] Other minority religious groups include Baháʼí Faith, Islam, Mahayana Buddhism, and Confucianism.[3] A very small number of citizens are atheist or agnostic.[3]
Although the government prohibits foreigners from proselytizing, some resident foreigners associated with private businesses or nongovernmental organizations quietly engage in religious activity.[3] The Lao Front for National Construction is in charge of religious affairs within the country and all religious organizations within Laos must register with it.[4]
^ abcdefghi"Laos". International Religious Freedom Report 2007. U.S. Department of State. 2007. Retrieved October 26, 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
^USCIRF Annual Report 2009 - The Commission's Watch List: Laos Archived 2012-10-10 at the Wayback Machine
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.