Religion The religious life of Myanmar is dominated by the omnipresent Theravada Buddhism, which was brought to the country as early as the 11th century AD. Today, about 88% of the population call themselves Theravadas; the remaining 12% of the Burmese are Christians (7%), Muslims (3%) and Hindus (0.5%). Over 100,000 Buddhist monks live in monasteries throughout the country. The history of Buddhism in Myanmar began in 638 AD, when the Mahayana creed started spreading there. During the 11th century, the people of Bagan turned to the Theravada Buddhist School.