Buddhism in Spain

Buddhism (Format:Lang-es) is the fourth-largest religion in Spain. The presence of Buddhism in Spain began in the late 1970s, brought from other parts of Europe, especially France. Despite its short history in the country, Buddhism was recognized as a deep-rooted religious confession in 2007, under official consideration. This recognition implies its equivalence in recognition with most other established religions for legal, political, and administrative purposes. Much of the Buddhist tradition in Spain has grown out of the Buddhist Union of Spain, the Federation of Buddhist Organizations of Spain (Format:Lang-es; UBE-FEBE), which was established in 1990. The first schools in Spain were Zen (of Mahayana Buddhism) and Kagyu (lineage of Tibetan Buddhism), and they have the largest community in the country today. There are dozens of Buddhist practising centers in the country. According to an estimation from 2018, there are around 90,000 followers of Buddhism in Spain, with a total number of around 300,000 adherents if sympathizers are included.