Temple Stay Survey Reveals 33.7% Buddhist Identification Among 2025 Participants
Updated (2 articles)
Record Attendance Highlights Growing Popularity The 2025 temple‑stay program attracted a historic 349,219 participants, a 5.1% rise over the previous year [1]. Attendance spanned 158 temples and included 293,704 South Korean guests plus 55,515 foreign tourists [1]. The surge marks the highest total since the initiative’s 2002 launch, underscoring its expanding appeal.
Religious Affiliation Breakdown Shows Secular Majority Only 33.7% of respondents identified as Buddhist, while a majority — 52.5% — claimed no religious affiliation [1]. Catholics accounted for 8.2% and Protestants 5% of participants [1]. These figures illustrate that the experience draws a broad, cross‑faith audience beyond its Buddhist origins.
Foreign Visitor Trends Indicate Rising Buddhist Identification Among international guests, those identifying as Buddhist grew from 5.9% in 2023 to 9.9% in 2025 [1]. Despite this increase, non‑religious foreigners remained the largest segment at 43.4% [1]. The upward trend suggests growing curiosity about Buddhist culture among overseas travelers.
Survey Conducted by Jogye Order’s Cultural Corps Confirms Consistency The Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism, an agency of the Jogye Order, collected the data, lending institutional credibility [1]. Results align with surveys from 2023 and 2024, confirming a persistent cross‑religious draw to temple stays [1]. The continuity reinforces the program’s role as a secular cultural experience as well as a religious one.
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Timeline
2002: The Jogye Order launches the temple‑stay program during the Korea‑Japan World Cup, offering cultural immersion and lodging relief to about 2,500 participants at 33 temples, establishing a new form of domestic tourism. [2]
2023: The Cultural Corps reports that “5.9% of foreign temple‑stay guests identify as Buddhist,” indicating a modest base of religious affiliation among international visitors. [1]
2024: The survey notes that “the Buddhist share among foreign participants rises to 7.5%,” reflecting growing interest from religious tourists. [1]
2025: The survey shows “foreign participants’ Buddhist identification climbs to 9.9%,” while non‑religious foreigners remain the largest group at 43.4%, highlighting the program’s secular appeal to tourists. [1]
2025: The Jogye Order announces that “record temple‑stay participation hits 349,219 in 2025,” a 5.1% increase from the previous year and the highest attendance since the program’s inception. [2]
2025: Participation splits into 293,704 South Korean guests and 55,515 foreign tourists, demonstrating the program’s strong domestic base and expanding international draw. [2]
2025: A survey of 27,563 respondents finds that “only 33.7% identify as Buddhist,” while 52.5% claim no religious affiliation, 8.2% are Catholic, and 5% Protestant, underscoring the cross‑religious appeal of temple stays. [1]
2025: The Jogye Order reports that the temple‑stay network has grown from 33 temples in 2002 to 158 temples in 2025 and has served roughly 4.18 million participants overall, cementing its role in nationwide cultural tourism. [2]
2025: The Jogye Order says it will “promote temple stays in coordination with cultural and tourism resources outside Seoul” and will introduce stress‑relief, mental‑health, and marginalized‑group programs, aiming to broaden access and diversify offerings. [2]