The number of Buddhists worldwide is generally estimated to be around 500 million people, which represents about 6.6% to 7% of the global population. Estimates from reputable sources such as Wikipedia and the Pew Research Center place the figure near 488 to 500 million as of the early 2010s

. Projections suggest this number may rise to about 511 million by 2030

. Some sources provide slightly higher estimates, such as 506 million or even around 535 million in 2020, but these are within a similar range

. A much higher figure of 1.6 billion Buddhists has been reported by some experts, but this number is not widely accepted by mainstream demographic studies and seems to be an outlier

. In summary, the most reliable and widely accepted estimate is that there are approximately half a billion Buddhists globally, making Buddhism the world's fourth-largest religion