Religion Buryatia

traditionally, buryats adhered belief systems based on deification of nature, belief in spirits , possibility of magic influence on surroundings. led shamans, systematised tribal beliefs , cults. second half of 17th century, beliefs , cults in shamanic form displaced buddhism, became widespread in ethnic buryatia. end of 19th century, majority of buryats part of buddhist tradition. synthesis of buddhism , traditional beliefs formed system of ecological traditions has constituted major attribute of buryat culture.

as of 2012 survey 27.4% of population adheres russian orthodox church, 19.8% buddhism, 2% rodnovery (slavic folk religion), tengrism or buryat shamanism, 4% declares generically unaffiliated christian (excluding protestants), 1% orthodox christian believers without belonging churches or members of other orthodox churches, 1% members of protestant churches. in addition, 25% of population declares spiritual not religious , 13% atheist, , 10.8% follows religion or did not give answer survey.

tibetan buddhism , orthodox christianity widespread religions in republic. many slavs, constitute around 67% of population, russian orthodox. since breakup of ussr in 1991, small number have converted various protestant denominations or rodnovery, slavic native faith. there catholics among slavs. of germans (0.11% of population) orthodox, other non-european groups armene (0.23%), georgian (0.03%), , soyot (0.37%). buryats constitute 30.04% of total population.

most urban buryats either buddhist or orthodox, while in rural areas adhere yellow shamanism, mixture of shamanism , buddhism, or black shamanism. there tengrist movements. siberian tatars around 0.7% of population. however, due isolation main body of tatars, many of them either non-religious or orthodox. islam followed immigrant groups azeris , uzbeks, constitute 0.7% of population.