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Denominational Profile
The Jehovah's Witnesses emerged out of the Bible Student movement begun by Charles Taze Russell, who founded the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society in the 1880s. The organization took its present name in 1931.
Membership Data
| Year | Clergy | Churches | Members |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | - | 3,484 | 187,120 |
| 1956 | - | 3,597 | 189,517 |
| 1957 | - | 3,718 | 208,260 |
| 1958 | - | 3,484 | 226,797 |
| 1959 | - | 4,020 | 239,418 |
| 1960 | - | 4,170 | 250,000 |
| 1961 | - | 4,333 | 273,131 |
| 1962 | - | 4,564 | 286,908 |
| 1963 | - | 4,777 | 308,370 |
| 1964 | - | 4,943 | 315,568 |
| 1965 | - | 5,141 | 330,358 |
| 1968 | - | 5,341 | 333,672 |
| 1969 | - | 5,384 | 359,146 |
| 1970 | - | 5,492 | 388,920 |
| 1971 | - | 5,676 | 416,789 |
| 1972 | - | 5,794 | 431,179 |
| 1973 | - | 6,059 | 472,662 |
| 1974 | - | 6,542 | 539,262 |
| 1975 | - | 7,117 | 560,897 |
| 1976 | - | 7,341 | 588,362 |
| 1977 | - | 7,438 | 554,018 |
| 1978 | - | 7,526 | 519,218 |
| 1979 | - | 7,545 | 526,961 |
| 1980 | - | 7,515 | 565,309 |
| 1981 | - | 7,590 | 588,503 |
| 1982 | - | 7,752 | 619,188 |
| 1983 | - | 7,921 | 649,697 |
| 1984 | - | 8,081 | 697,660 |
| 1985 | - | 8,220 | 730,441 |
| 1986 | - | 8,336 | 752,404 |
| 1987 | - | 8,547 | 773,219 |
| 1989 | - | 9,141 | 825,570 |
| 1991 | - | 9,347 | 858,367 |
| 1992 | - | 9,890 | 914,079 |
| 1993 | - | 9,985 | 926,614 |
| 1994 | - | 10,307 | 945,990 |
| 1995 | - | 10,541 | 966,243 |
| 1996 | - | 10,671 | 975,829 |
| 1997 | - | 10,883 | 974,719 |
| 1999 | - | 11,064 | 1,040,283 |
| 2000 | - | 11,636 | 998,166 |
| 2001 | - | 11,706 | 989,403 |
| 2002 | - | 11,876 | 1,022,397 |
| 2003 | - | 12,054 | 1,041,030 |
| 2004 | - | 12,317 | 1,029,902 |
Source
Data were taken from the National Council of Churches' Historic Archive CD and recent editions of the Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. Denomination descriptions provided by Dr. J. Gordon Melton, Director, Institute for the Study of American Religion (ISAR). [More information on data sources]
