Buddhism and Progressiveness: A Global Comparative Analysis Across 195 Countries-Investigating the Correlation Between Religion and Societal Advancement

Kunal Dhanda, Sweta Sehrawat

Abstract: This study delves into the intriguing question of whether Buddhist-majority countries exhibit greater societal progressiveness compared to nations shaped by other dominant religions, such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, or secular ideologies. In my view, the philosophical underpinnings of Buddhism emphasizing peace, mindfulness, and a lack of centralized divine authority offer a compelling lens through which to explore this issue. The research employs a robust empirical approach, analyzing 195 countries across carefully selected indicators like economic prosperity (GDP per capita, Gini Index), human development (HDI, literacy rates), governance (Democracy Index, Corruption Perceptions Index), gender equality (GDI, workforce participation), and innovation (R&D spending, patents per capita). It is evident that Buddhist-majority nations, such as Thailand and Japan, consistently outshine their Islamic and Hindu counterparts in most metrics, suggesting a meaningful link between Buddhist values and societal outcomes. However, they fall short of the heights achieved by Christian and secular-majority states, particularly in economic and technological domains. This raises another point: while Buddhism may foster certain progressive traits like lower income inequality or stronger gender parity?secular governance and historical context seem to wield greater influence. In my assessment, this nuanced picture challenges simplistic assumptions about religion?s role in development, urging future scholars to dig deeper into cultural and historical variables that quantitative data alone cannot fully capture.

Keywords: Buddhism, societal progressiveness, gender equality, human development, governance