How Many Jehovah’s Witnesses Are There? 2025 Statistics

Understanding the Numbers: A Look at Jehovah’s Witnesses Worldwide

This article aims to answer common questions about the number of Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world. It uses the latest available statistics to provide a clear picture. The focus here is on facts and figures, helping readers understand the group’s size and how widely it is spread, without going into religious beliefs. Most of the information comes from official reports published by Jehovah’s Witnesses on their website, JW.org. For a wider view, data from independent research organizations, like the Pew Research Center, is also included.

One important thing to understand from the start is how Jehovah’s Witnesses count their members. They mainly count “publishers.” Publishers are individuals who are actively involved in preaching or sharing their message. This way of counting is different from how some other religious groups might count their members, which often relies on who says they belong or who has been baptized. Knowing this helps in understanding all the numbers that follow.

What is the most recent official global number of Jehovah’s Witnesses?

According to the “2024 Grand Totals” report from their official website, JW.org, the highest number of Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide is 9,043,460.¹ This number represents what they call “peak publishers.”

This “peak” figure shows the largest count of active preachers reported at any point during their 2024 service year. This service year ran from September 1, 2023, to August 31, 2024.² Alongside the peak number, the organization also reports the average number of publishers who preached each month. For the 2024 service year, this average was 8,828,124.²

The term “publishers” is key because it refers to individuals actively sharing their faith. This is the main way the organization measures its membership. It’s not just about who considers themselves a Witness who is actively taking part in their main work of preaching.⁴

The fact that the organization highlights the “peak publishers” number suggests they want to show the maximum level of activity reached during the year. The difference between the peak number (9,043,460) and the average number (8,828,124) is relatively small, about 2.4%. This indicates that the number of active members is generally quite steady throughout the year, though there are some ups and downs. It points to a consistent core of people actively involved each month.

Here’s a quick look at some key global figures for the 2024 service year:

Global Snapshot of Jehovah’s Witnesses (2024 Service Year)

These figures provide a snapshot of the organization’s global presence and activity levels.

How do Jehovah’s Witnesses count their members?

Jehovah’s Witnesses count their members based on who is a “publisher.” A publisher is defined as someone who actively preaches what they call the “good news of God’s Kingdom.” This group includes people who have been baptized as Jehovah’s Witnesses. It also includes individuals who are not yet baptized but have been approved to take part in the preaching work.²

The process for counting these publishers is quite detailed:

• Every month, each Witness who participates in preaching voluntarily fills out a report about their activity. This might include how many hours they spent preaching or how many Bible studies they conducted.⁴
• These individual reports are collected by their local congregation.
• The congregation then totals these figures and sends a summary report to the local branch office that oversees their country or region.
• Finally, each branch office sends the totals for its area to the world headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
• The worldwide number of Witnesses is determined by adding up the peak number of publishers that each country or territory reported during the “service year.” The service year runs from September 1 of one year to August 31 of the next.⁴

This method of counting is different from how some other religious organizations or researchers might count members. For instance, the U.S. Census Bureau, when it used to collect religious adherence data, would ask people if they considered themselves to be part of a religious group. This is based on personal feeling or self-identification. In contrast, Jehovah’s Witnesses count only those who are actively preaching and who report that activity.⁴

This careful, activity-based way of counting means that the official number of Jehovah’s Witnesses likely represents a core group of people who are highly involved and committed. It doesn’t include people who might just casually identify with the faith but are not active. This method also points to a strong and organized system that can gather and process data from almost every congregation around the world every month.

Because reporting is voluntary, it is possible that some active individuals might occasionally forget to report or choose not to for a particular month. If this happens, the actual number of active people could be slightly higher than the official “publisher” count. But the organization places importance on this reporting, so it is likely that most who see themselves as active do report their activity. Therefore, the official count is generally seen as a reliable measure of reported activity.

How many Jehovah’s Witness congregations are there worldwide, and in how many lands do they operate?

As of their 2024 Service Year Report, Jehovah’s Witnesses have 118,767 congregations around the world.² This is an increase from the previous year. The 2023 report listed 118,177 congregations 4, meaning there was a net increase of 590 congregations in one year.

Jehovah’s Witnesses report that their members are preaching and active in 240 different lands and territories.¹ This number also saw a small increase from the 239 lands reported in 2023 4, suggesting their activities have been started or officially recognized in one additional land or territory during the 2024 service year.

These numbers are important because they show how far-reaching Jehovah’s Witnesses are and how they are organized at a local level. Having a large number of congregations means they have a widespread presence, making it easier for members and interested people to find a local meeting place.

If we look at the number of publishers compared to the number of congregations (roughly 9,043,460 publishers divided by 118,767 congregations), it comes out to an average of about 76 publishers per congregation. This suggests that their local groups are often relatively small. Smaller congregations can help create a close-knit community feeling. But it also means that a large number of meeting places, which they call Kingdom Halls, are needed. The historical records show that the need for more Kingdom Halls has been a consistent part of their growth. For example, a survey back in 1998 already showed that thousands more Kingdom Halls were needed, especially in developing countries.⁷ This points to an ongoing effort to build and maintain the buildings needed to support their many congregations.

What are the recent trends in the number of Jehovah’s Witnesses? Has there been growth?

Yes, according to their official reports, there has been recent growth in the number of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The 2024 Service Year Report indicates a 2.4% increase in the peak number of publishers compared to the 2023 service year.²

Looking at the past few years, the trend in peak publishers has been:

• 2024: 9,043,460 (a 2.4% increase over 2023)²
• 2023: 8,816,562 (a 1.3% increase over 2022)⁴
• 2022: 8,699,048 (a 0.4% increase over 2021)⁸
• 2021: 8,686,980 (a 0.7% increase over 2020)¹⁰
• 2020: 8,695,808 (a 0.6% decrease compared to 2019)¹²
• 2019: 8,683,117 (a 1.3% increase over 2018)¹⁴

The number of people getting baptized as Jehovah’s Witnesses each year is another important indicator of trends:

• 2024: 296,267 people were baptized.²
• 2023: 269,517 people were baptized.⁶
• 2022: 145,552 people were baptized.⁸
• 2021: 171,393 people were baptized.¹⁰
• 2020: 241,994 people were baptized.¹²
• 2019: 303,866 people were baptized.¹⁴

Observing these figures, it appears that after a slight dip in the number of publishers in 2020 (which was the year the COVID-19 pandemic began and significantly impacted public activities), there has been a return to growth. The 2.4% increase reported for 2024 is the highest percentage increase in this recent six-year period. The number of baptisms also saw a noticeable drop in 2022 but has increased significantly in 2023 and 2024. This pattern suggests that the disruptions caused by the pandemic may have temporarily slowed down their growth and the number of new baptisms. But the organization seems to have adapted, or conditions have become more favorable for their activities, leading to a rebound.

The following table summarizes these recent trends:

Trends in Global Jehovah’s Witness Statistics (2019-2024)

Sources: 2

Which countries have the largest populations of Jehovah’s Witnesses?

While Jehovah’s Witnesses are active in 240 lands and territories, their members are not spread out evenly. Some countries have significantly larger populations of active Witnesses than others. Based on the 2024 Service Year Report, the countries with the highest number of peak publishers are 15:

Top 9 Countries by Peak Jehovah’s Witness Publishers (2024)

Source: 15

This list shows that large communities of Jehovah’s Witnesses exist in North and South America, Africa, and also in parts of Europe and Asia. Information from a few years prior also showed the United States, Brazil, and Mexico as having the most members, indicating some consistency in these top countries over time.¹⁶

The presence of countries like Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zambia among the top countries highlights major activity and growth in parts of Africa. This might be less widely known to the general public compared to their presence in the Americas. The high numbers in the United States, Brazil, and Mexico point to a strong and long-standing presence in those regions. This ability to attract members in such diverse cultural and economic settings underscores their global outreach efforts.

It’s also interesting to note that while some countries have large absolute numbers of Witnesses, some smaller countries or territories can have a high ratio of Witnesses to their total population. For example, older data mentioned places like St. Helena and Guadeloupe as having a high proportion of Witnesses.¹⁶ The official country reports provide this ratio for each land, showing where they form a more concentrated part of the local population.¹⁵

How does the number of people attending the annual Memorial compare to the official number of Witnesses?

A very important annual event for Jehovah’s Witnesses is the Memorial of Christ’s death. The attendance at this event is always much higher than the official number of active “publishers.”

For the 2024 service year:

• The peak number of publishers was 9,043,460.²
• The worldwide attendance at the Memorial was 21,119,442.²

For comparison, in the 2023 service year:

• The peak number of publishers was 8,816,562.⁴
• The worldwide attendance at the Memorial was 20,461,767.⁴

In both years, the Memorial attendance was more than double the number of official publishers. In 2024, it was about 2.³³ times higher. Jehovah’s Witnesses themselves state that this difference between Memorial attendance and the publisher count can give a rough idea of how many people are not baptized Witnesses or not actively preaching but still come to this important meeting. They welcome these individuals to their congregations.⁴

This large difference in numbers suggests that Jehovah’s Witnesses have a much wider circle of influence and interest than the publisher figure alone might show. Many people who are not counted as active, baptized members still maintain some level of connection or interest in the faith, at least enough to attend their most sacred annual event.

This large group of Memorial attendees who are not publishers could include various people, such as:

• Family members of active Witnesses.
• People who are currently studying the Bible with Witnesses but are not yet qualified as publishers.
• Former members who may still feel some connection.
• Other interested individuals from the community.

This substantial attendance indicates a large “sympathetic audience” or a potential pool for future growth in terms of new publishers. As one source noted, with so many attending the Memorial, the possibility for growth is clearly there.¹⁶

It is also reported that a much smaller number of people, 23,212 in 2024 2 and 22,312 in 2023 6, actually take part in the bread and wine at the Memorial. This is a separate statistic they track for this event the key takeaway for understanding their overall reach is the much larger total attendance figure.

How many Bible studies do Jehovah’s Witnesses conduct globally?

Jehovah’s Witnesses place a strong emphasis on conducting Bible studies with interested individuals. According to their 2024 Service Year Report, they conducted an average of 7,480,146 Bible studies each month around the world.² This is an increase from the 2023 average, which was 7,281,212 Bible studies each month.⁴

It’s important to understand that some of these Bible studies are held with more than one person at the same time.⁴ This figure also includes Bible studies that Witness parents conduct with their own children.⁵

The number of Bible studies is a major indicator of their efforts to share their teachings and is their main way of recruiting new members. A high number of ongoing Bible studies suggests that they are actively trying to teach their beliefs to many people.

When comparing the average number of monthly Bible studies (7.⁴⁸ million in 2024) with the average number of publishers (8.⁸³ million in 2024) 2, the number of studies is substantial, though slightly lower than the number of publishers. This might suggest that, on average, not every single publisher is conducting a separate, distinct Bible study each month, or it could reflect that many studies are with existing family members, particularly children. Even so, conducting nearly 7.⁵ million Bible study arrangements every month represents a massive global teaching program. This educational effort is a primary driver for potential new members. The increase in Bible studies from 2023 to 2024 aligns with the reported increase in baptisms and overall publisher growth during the same period.

How many hours do Jehovah’s Witnesses report in their preaching work annually?

Jehovah’s Witnesses traditionally report the total number of hours their members spend in preaching and teaching activities each year. For the 2023 service year (from September 1, 2022, to August 31, 2023), they reported spending a total of 1,791,490,713 (over 1.⁷⁹ billion) hours in their field ministry worldwide.⁶

The “2024 Grand Totals” report, as published on their official website JW.org, does not include a figure for “Total Hours Spent in Field”.² Therefore, the 2023 figure of 1.⁷⁹ billion hours is the most recent publicly available one for this specific statistic directly from the organization’s summary reports.

Looking at historical data for context, the total hours spent in the field were:

• 2022: 1,501,797,703 hours 8
• 2021: 1,423,039,931 hours 10
• 2020: 1,669,901,531 hours 12
• 2019: 2,088,560,437 hours (over 2.⁰⁸ billion)¹⁴

This statistic of total hours shows the immense collective effort that members dedicate to their primary activity of preaching. It highlights the high level of commitment and time that active members contribute.

The number of hours reported saw a major drop from 2019 (before the COVID-19 pandemic) to 2021 and 2022. This period was when their usual door-to-door ministry was largely suspended and they shifted to methods like letter writing and phone calls, which likely affected reported hours. The 2023 figure showed a rebound in hours from the 2021/2022 numbers it was still lower than the peak reported in 2019. The absence of this “total hours” data point in the 2024 Grand Totals summary is a new development. This could indicate a change in what they emphasize in their reports or how they collect data about ministry, though this is just an observation without further explanation from the organization. For the 2023 figure is the latest available for this specific measure.

How do independent demographic studies (like Pew Research) report the number of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and how does this compare with official statistics?

Independent research organizations, such as the Pew Research Center, also gather data on religious affiliation, including Jehovah’s Witnesses. Their findings, particularly in the United States, offer a different perspective compared to the official statistics from JW.org.

In Pew Research Center surveys conducted in the U.S., Jehovah’s Witnesses typically make up less than 1% of the adult population. For example, the 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study (RLS) reported that fewer than 1% of adult respondents identified as Jehovah’s Witnesses.¹⁷ This has been a consistent finding in their surveys since 2020. In earlier Pew studies, such as those from 2007 and 2014, the figure was sometimes stated as around 0.8% or 1%.¹⁸

The main reason for the difference in numbers lies in how they are counted:

• Pew Research (Self-Identification): These studies count individuals who say they are Jehovah’s Witnesses when asked about their religion. It’s based on how people see themselves.⁴
• JW.org (Active Publishers): The official reports from Jehovah’s Witnesses count “publishers” – those who are actively involved in preaching and report that activity.⁴

Because of these different methods, independent studies that rely on self-identification often show a higher number of people identifying as Jehovah’s Witnesses than the official “publisher” count. One source notes that “only about half of those who self-identify as Jehovah’s Witnesses in independent demographic studies are considered active by the faith itself”.⁵

For example, if Pew Research found that 0.8% of U.S. Adults identify as Jehovah’s Witnesses, that would translate to roughly 2 million people (based on the U.S. Adult population). The official 2024 report from Jehovah’s Witnesses lists 1,259,538 peak publishers in the United States.¹⁵ While this official number is more than half of the estimated 2 million, there is still a noticeable gap.

This difference is major because it highlights two distinct ways of measuring religious connection: one is based on active, reported participation, and the other is based on personal identification. Neither method is necessarily “wrong”; they simply measure different aspects of affiliation. For Christian readers who might be more familiar with membership counts based on baptism records or self-identification in their own churches, this distinction provides important context.

The gap between the number of people who self-identify as Jehovah’s Witnesses and the number of active publishers suggests there is a notable group of individuals who may have been raised as Witnesses, or were formerly active, and still feel some connection to the faith, even if they don’t currently meet the organization’s criteria for being an active “publisher.” This observation connects with other demographic data regarding how many people raised in the faith remain active as adults.

Here’s a comparison using U.S. Data as an example:

Comparison of Jehovah’s Witness Counts: Official (Publishers) vs. Independent (Self-Identification) – U.S. Example

This table helps illustrate how different counting methods can lead to different figures for the same religious group.

What are some key non-theological demographic statistics about Jehovah’s Witnesses in a major region like the U.S.?

Beyond the global counts of publishers and congregations, research studies, particularly from the Pew Research Center in the United States, provide other demographic details about Jehovah’s Witnesses. These statistics focus on social and economic characteristics rather than religious beliefs.

• Retention Rate: 

  A Pew Research Center study from 2008 focusing on the U.S. Found that about 37% of people who were raised as Jehovah’s Witnesses still identified as Jehovah’s Witnesses in adulthood. At the time of that study, this was noted as the lowest retention rate among the religious groups surveyed.⁵ More recent, specific retention data for Jehovah’s Witnesses was not readily available in the provided 2023-24 Pew RLS snippets 18 the 37% figure is a widely referenced historical statistic.

• Conversion Rate: 

  The same 2008 Pew study also found that 65% of adult Jehovah’s Witnesses in the U.S. Were converts, meaning they were not raised in the faith but joined it later in life.⁵

• Racial and Ethnic Diversity (U.S.): 

  Jehovah’s Witnesses have been noted for their racial and ethnic diversity in the United States. As of 2016, they were considered the most racially diverse Christian denomination in the country.⁵ Comments on more recent Pew data also suggest an “overrepresentation among Black and Hispanic individuals” compared to their proportion in the general U.S. Population.¹⁸

• Education and Income (U.S.): 

  A Pew Research study, with data around 2016, indicated that Jehovah’s Witnesses in the U.S. Had the lowest average household income among the religious groups surveyed at that time. About half of Witness households in the U.S. Were reported as earning less than $30,000 per year.⁵ The same study found that American Jehovah’s Witnesses, as a group, ranked highest in terms of not having education beyond a high school diploma.⁵ More recent commentary on Pew data also notes that “JWs are at 1% for those with an education of high school or less”.¹⁸

These statistics offer a glimpse into the socio-economic and demographic makeup of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the U.S., separate from their membership numbers. They touch on aspects like how many people stay in the faith if raised in it, how many join as adults, and the general economic and educational profile of adherents in that region.

The combination of a relatively low retention rate (many who are born into it leave) and a high conversion rate (many join from outside) suggests a membership that experiences a good deal of change. The group appears to rely significantly on attracting new members to maintain or grow its numbers, especially given the lower rate of people raised in the faith remaining active. The demographic data on income and education levels in the U.S. Are factual observations from Pew Research. Although the reasons behind these statistical patterns can be complex, the data itself shows these correlations.

It is important to add a note of caution: one source indicates that detailed demographic research on Jehovah’s Witnesses is quite limited. Sample sizes in studies can be small and often focus on specific regions like the U.S. Studies that compare across different cultures are described as “virtually non-existent”.⁵ This means that findings from U.S.-based studies may not necessarily apply to Jehovah’s Witnesses in other parts of the world.

Conclusion

Understanding the number of Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide involves looking at several key statistics. As of the 2024 service year, there are over 9 million active Jehovah’s Witnesses, whom they call “publishers,” spread across 240 lands and organized into nearly 119,000 congregations.² This global community has shown recent growth, with a 2.4% increase in publishers reported in the most recent service year.

A major aspect of their statistics is the annual Memorial of Christ’s death, which draws an attendance of over 21 million people—more than double the number of active publishers.² This suggests a much broader sphere of influence and interest than the publisher count alone indicates. Their extensive preaching and teaching efforts are further reflected in the nearly 7.⁵ million Bible studies conducted on average each month globally 2 and, in the most recent year for which data is available (2023), over 1.⁷⁹ billion hours dedicated to their ministry.⁶

It is also important to remember that the official figures from Jehovah’s Witnesses are based on counting individuals actively involved in preaching.⁴ This method differs from independent surveys, like those by the Pew Research Center, which often rely on self-identification and consequently may report different, often higher, numbers of people who consider themselves Jehovah’s Witnesses.⁵

The statistics paint a picture of Jehovah’s Witnesses as a notable global religious organization with a highly organized structure. They maintain a strong emphasis on evangelism, and their numbers show a pattern of steady, if sometimes modest, growth in recent years. They have a major presence in various parts of the world, including the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Asia. Examining these statistics provides a factual basis for understanding the scale and demographic characteristics of Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide, separate from any theological considerations.

Bibliography:

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