How Many People Meditate

How Many People Meditate in 2024?

Published on: April 6, 2023
Last Updated: April 6, 2023

How Many People Meditate in 2024?

Published on: April 6, 2023
Last Updated: April 6, 2023

Quick Answer 🔍

How many people meditate in 2024?

On a global scene, it is estimated that around 200 to 500 million people practice meditation.

In this day and age where people are in pursuit of a moment of calm in their fast-paced life, how many people meditate?

Many are drawn into this practice for various purposes particularly to calm anxiety, improve sleep quality, and enhance overall wellness in general.

Continue reading to find out many interesting facts about meditation, including its many benefits and types of practices. 

How Many People Meditate in 2024?

In the past decade, meditation has been immensely popular right next to yoga when it comes to mind and body practices.

Pew Research Center published research in 2014 that states that 40% of Americans claim to meditate.

The number of people who tried and practice meditation has tripled since 2012.

In the United States alone, it was believed that 14% of adults tried meditating at least once in their lives.

On a global scene, it is estimated that around 200 to 500 million people practice meditation.

Demographic Popularity of Meditation by Gender

image 43

Credits: unsplash.com

When it comes to gender, women are likely to meditate compared to men.

About 16 percent of women practice meditation compared to 12 percent of men.

Meditation’s Popularity According to The Age Group Is:

AGE GROUP and PERCENTAGE

  • 18 to 44 years old – 13%
  •  45 to 64 years old – 16%
  •  65 years old and above – 13%

The data above illustrates that about 16 percent of the 45-64 aged adults meditate. It is widely popular and practiced in most if not all age groups.

What is Meditation?

The hustle and bustle of the modern world create a widespread noise and pressure that affects the physicality and mentality of many people.

Many suffer emotional and mental breakdowns caused by various reasons.

Because of these troubles, many people seek ways to improve their well-being and life. One of which is meditation.

Meditation is a mind and body practice technique that boosts relaxation, creates mindfulness, and stimulates a sense of calmness that significantly benefits the person who practices it.

Nonetheless, there are many mind and body practice techniques that help an individual in a variety of circumstances.

It helps build a strong connection between a person’s physical, mental, and emotional aspects. Examples of this are yoga, acupuncture, tai chi, and meditation.

Benefits of Meditation

Practicing meditation is beneficial in many ways. Many people practice meditation to improve their overall wellness.

Aside from general wellness, it helps improve focus and memory, alleviates stress, depression, and anxiety, and increases energy levels.

Other benefits are:

 • Reduces insomnia symptoms

• Increases focus and attention span

• Lower blood pressure

• Reduce PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder) symptoms

• Increase self-awareness

• Improves sleep quality

• Increases tolerance and patience

• Helps build stress management skills

• Boosts creativity and imagination

Types of Meditation

image 44

Credits: unsplash.com

Meditation is a broad term to describe and identify the numerous ways to accomplish and attain a peaceful state of mind and body.

Even though there are various ways or techniques to relax and meditate, they all lead to achieving inner peace.

Yoga

Yoga is the most popular form of meditation where a person executes different poses or form exercises requiring concentration and balance promotes flexibility and calmness.

Mindfulness Meditation

A type of meditation based on increasing awareness and living at the present moment.

The practice focus on observing own thoughts, consciousness, and emotions or what the person undergoes during meditation.

Mantra Meditation

In mantra meditation, the individual repeats a word or phrase or thoughts that inhibit negative or distracting thoughts or emotions.

Transcendental Meditation

A simple form of meditation where a person repeats a personal mantra in a certain way.

It allows one to settle in a calm and relaxed state to achieve inner peace without much effort or concentration.

Guided Meditation

In this type of meditation, people use senses and mental images that the person finds relaxing.

Tai Chi

Known as a form of Chinese martial arts where a series of graceful movements are performed synchronized to one’s deep breaths.

Qi Gong

Another traditional Chinese meditation practice is performed to reestablish and sustain balance. It is a combination of different elements of meditation.

Meditation and the Aging of the Brain

There are numerous studies supporting that meditation improves mental and psychological well-being.

A 2015 UCLA study discovered that people who practice meditation long-time have well-preserved brains as they get older compared to those who do not meditate.

In 2011, a Harvard team found that meditation can alter the structure of the brain.

It decreases cell volume in the amygdala and increases the cortical thickness in the hippocampus, resulting in a change in perception of stress and emotions and improving stress management skills.

Countries with the Highest Meditating Population

Meditation is significantly associated with Buddhism has its historical roots in India and then spreads to China and Japan.

However, nowadays, it is surprisingly popular in the West and worldwide.

In a recent article, they used Google Trend data, which is based on the number of searches on the internet.

Australia topped the country where meditation is most popular.

Here are the top ten on that list:

1. Australia

2. Ireland

3. Nepal

4. Canada

5. Vietnam

6. New Zealand

7. Switzerland

8. India

9. United States

10. Portugal

Even though some Asian countries are included, it might be shocking for some that they did not top the list and why other East Asian countries were not included in the top ten. 

The reason behind it might vary for a few reasons.

Some of these are: keywords, language differences, Google being blocked in countries like China, South Korea’s primary search engine is not Google, or simply because the practice is passed down and taught in a way that the digital world is not used.

Best Countries to Travel for Meditation

But if one plans to travel to countries where meditation is known and practiced, here are eight of the best places to spend some time and revitalize physically, mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually:

• India

• China

• Japan

• Korea

• Indonesia

• Tibet

• Thailand

• Myanmar

Conclusion

Just like any other skill, meditation does not develop overnight. It takes practice, a lot of it, as a matter of fact.

The human mind naturally wanders which is a challenge, especially during meditation.

It is essential to keep in mind that it is okay. There is no perfect way or shortcut to meditating. Trying and experimenting with what type works for the person is the key.

Sources

NCCIHTaking ChargeMayo Clinic
ForbesMindfulness BoxReality Pathing
The Good BodyDisturbMeNot

Stay on top of the latest technology trends — delivered directly to your inbox, free!

Subscription Form Posts

Don't worry, we don't spam

Written by Jason Wise

Hello! I’m the editor at EarthWeb, with a particular interest in business and technology topics, including social media, privacy, and cryptocurrency. As an experienced editor and researcher, I have a passion for exploring the latest trends and innovations in these fields and sharing my insights with our readers. I also enjoy testing and reviewing products, and you’ll often find my reviews and recommendations on EarthWeb. With a focus on providing informative and engaging content, I am committed to ensuring that EarthWeb remains a leading source of news and analysis in the tech industry.