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| Baha'i Lotus Temple in India |
Despite the existence of an exact statistical system and periodical reports of Bahá'í population in every country, the Bahá'í administration has been reluctant to publicize them, and has always referred to uncertain estimates that are highly exaggerated.
Although the Bahá'í websites and paper works acknowledge the Bahá'í world population from 5 to 7 million people, which is dubious, independent researchers have proposed less than 800,000 Bahá'í people around the world. It seems that the Bahá'í administration tries to give larger figures about the Bahá'í population, in order to get a better status and recognition in different countries, or in international institutions.
The Issue of Population
The population of a community or country is a clear and influential indicator of its political, social, and economic power. Similarly, the number of followers of religions and schools of thought is very important, as it shows the weight and status of a said community in a country or on an international level.
The Population of the Bahá'ís
The number of Bahá'ís, as an international community or a new religious group, is interesting. While the Bahá'í population in most countries is less than 1 thousandth of their populations, and thus lies in the “very small size social groups,” they claim that Bahá'ís enjoy the highest rate of population increase and the second most widespread religious group in the world. However, they have not published any formal statistics about the population of Bahá'í communities in different countries. The Bahá'í International and national officials neither publish nor confirm the national statistical reports. They just quote or make references to some exaggerated estimations of an unskilled agency for the Bahá'í population.
Who is a Bahá'í?
According to the Registration Form of the Bahá'í administration, a Bahá'í person is a 15+ year old who believes in Ali Muhammad Bab as the forerunner, Bahá'u'lláh as the great Manifestation of God, Abdul-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi as the divine leaders after Bahá'u'lláh, and the Universal House of Justice as an infallible organization of leadership of the Bahá'í community.
Growth in Numbers
After the establishment of the Universal House of Justice (UHJ) in 1963, in continuation of the “10-year Int’l Bahá'í teaching and consolidation plan 1953–63” of Shoghi Effendi, it launched the following teaching and expansion plans successively:
Nine-year plan (1964-1973)
Five-year plan (1974-1979)
Seven-year plan (1979-1986)
Six-year plan (1986-1992)
Three-year plan (1993-1996)
Four-year plan (1996-2001)
After a brief one-year plan, the UHJ launched four successive five-year plans that will end in 2021 (100 years after the death of Abdul-Bahá). By these plans, the Bahá'í communities practiced the policies of “mass teaching” and “entry by troops” to increase the number of Bahá'í persons, groups, and communities in different countries.
It is claimed that the number of Bahá'ís grew from less than 500,000 worldwide in 1963 to a reported more than 5,000,000 in 1992–93. This seems to be exaggerated. For example, the population of the Bahá'í community in India is expressed as “more than 2 million,” while the official statistics of the Indian government have shown “less than 10,000 Bahá'í people” in India.
Another case is the Bahá'ís of Iran. While the Bahá'í officials talk about 300,000 people as the Bahá'í population of Iran, the formal statistics of Iran acknowledge less than 50,000 people as “others” (other than Muslims, Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians, who follow the recognized religions in the Iran constitution). This statistic includes Hindus, Sikhs, etc., and also people of different ages, not just 15+ year olds.
Ways of Increasing Population
The generally accepted ways of increasing the population of a nation or community are as follows:
Occupation of other countries and territories
Acceptance of a religion by the people of another country
Increase of population through births
Increase through teaching, propagation, and proselytizing
Immigration
The first, second, and third ways are not applicable to cause a tenfold increase in the Bahá'í world population. The Bahá'ís have not had political sovereignty or military domination. Moreover, there has not been any impressive or comprehensive approval of the Bahá'í Faith report in the last 50 years. The Bahá'ís do not approve of polygamy and have not recommended high fertility for overpopulation.
Their main approach for expanding the Bahá'í Faith has been teaching, propagation, proselytizing, and conversion. However, this has been ineffective due to religious, legal, or social oppositions in different countries and cultures. Since we are studying the Bahá'í population on a world scale, immigration from one city to another or from one country to another does not change the total statistics.
Growth of the Bahá'í Population through Teaching and Proselytizing
From the outset, Bahá'í leadership initiated frequent teaching plans, sending missionary groups to neighboring cities and abroad to convert people. All social and development programs conducted by Bahá'ís in various countries aim to increase their population and develop their administrative organizations.
Growth in the West
Since there is more available information about Bahá'ís in Western and developed countries, let's review their growth there. During the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, the American Bahá'í community grew slowly from a few thousand after World War II to about 10,000 at the beginning of the 1960s. Then, in the wake of the youth rebellion, membership soared—partially through mass conversion—from 18,000 in 1968 to 63,500 in 1975. Since then, the relative growth in the number of registered members has been more moderate.
A similar pattern, though to a lesser degree, was seen in many European countries. In 1952, the number of European Bahá'ís was about 1,400, and in the West altogether, there were no more than 10,000 Bahá'ís. By 1963, the number of European Bahá'ís had doubled to 2,800. The growth then accelerated, and by 1986, there were 21,900 registered Bahá'ís in Europe.
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Growth of the Baha’i religion in the USA, England and France,1959–1992
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| Growth of the Baha’i religion, 1963–1986 (“Western”: Europe, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) |
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Number of Bahai localities worldwide, 1956–2001
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Figure 1 highlights the contrasts in demographic trends. By 1990, the Bahá'í population in the USA had reportedly reached 108,000, equating to 434 Bahá'ís per million residents. This number is significant when compared to the statistics for England and France, where the Bahá'í population in 1990 was approximately 3,500 and 1,250, respectively. These figures translate to just 69 and 22 Bahá'ís per million inhabitants.
A closer examination of membership data for several Western European countries reveals that England and France represent the upper and lower extremes in terms of the number of Bahá’ís per million inhabitants in 1990 (data not shown). On average, it can be concluded that the Bahá’í mission has been approximately ten times more successful in the USA (434 Bahá’ís per million inhabitants) than in Western Europe (typically about 40 Bahá’ís per million inhabitants).
In quantitative terms, the American Bahá’í community significantly surpasses any European Bahá’í community. However, on a global scale, even the American Bahá’í community constitutes only a minor fraction (about 2%) of all Bahá’ís, with Western Bahá’ís as a whole making up only 3% of the worldwide Bahá’í population. Figure 2 shows the substantial growth in the number of registered Bahá’ís between 1963 and 1986, particularly in Asia and Africa.
During fieldwork at the Bahá’í World Centre, the administrative handling of the statistical report forms (which are uniform across all countries) was studied and discussed. The various sources of error in the statistics were discussed with the responsible statistician.
Additionally, I compared the Bahá’í World Centre data on Denmark with data procured from sources in Denmark (total 240 persons) and found no systematic deviations. Since I have an independent source of the data from Denmark, and there is no reason to assume that Danish forms have been treated differently from other forms, I must conclude that the data from different countries are reliable to the extent that the original sources are reliable. Thus, the Universal House of Justice could easily publish their membership statistics if they wished.
However, the Universal House of Justice does not report the number of Bahá’ís for different countries or regions. This is unfortunate, as no reliable independent sources about the number of Bahá’ís seem to exist.
For example, the World Christian Encyclopedia, edited by David Barrett and co-workers, has become established as an authority on membership data for Bahá’í organizations around the world. This source estimates a global Bahá’í population of about 6.3 million in 1995, which is more than the five million officially claimed by the Bahá’ís.
Closer scrutiny of the encyclopedia shows that the figures reported for Bahá’ís in some Western countries are grossly exaggerated. For instance, the encyclopedia estimates 1,600 Bahá’ís in Denmark in 1995 and 682,000 Bahá’ís in the USA in 1995.
The Bahá’ís themselves do not acknowledge such numbers; the number of registered Bahá’ís in Denmark in 1995 was about 240, and in the USA about 130,000. Therefore, the World Christian Encyclopedia clearly is not a reliable source of Bahá’í membership data, as noted by MacEoin.
Researchers occasionally question the official Bahá’í membership data, suggesting they may be exaggerated. Specifically, criticism has been directed at the unpublished internal data for the American Bahá’í community, where about 50% of the members appear to lack confirmed addresses.
This issue of inflated membership data may be even more significant in many non-Western countries. For instance, official Bahá’í sources claim that India is home to about two million Bahá’ís, most living in rural areas. However, in Internet discussions about Bahá’í membership data, statistics for India (and other developing countries) have been strongly disputed. One reason for the skepticism is that Bahá’í communities in India have not been consolidated after initial mass enrollments. Many Bahá’í converts appear only loosely affiliated with the new faith, maintaining traditional Hindu beliefs and practices alongside Bahá’í principles. Additionally, enrolled villagers were often illiterate and did not differentiate between the Hindu Avatar and Bahá'u'lláh, or between Huququ'lláh (Bahá’í tax) and Coca-Cola.
Do these observations justify criticism of the membership data? Since these Bahá’ís have had no contact with the Bahá’í organization for years, it raises the question of whether they can still be considered members of the Bahá’í community, especially if their addresses are no longer valid.
Suggestion for Reassessment of Bahá’í Membership Data
The discussion above indicates the need for estimating the number of active Bahá’ís in different regions worldwide. In Table 1, key figures from internal Bahá’í reports have been compiled to facilitate such an estimate.
The three columns on the left in the table show the number of localities in 1986 and 1992 for different world regions. Additional data from 1996, not shown in Table 1, confirm the relatively high growth in Europe and the decline in Africa: in 1996, there were 5,915 localities in Europe and 32,074 localities in Africa.
The columns on the right in Table 1 show the total number of local spiritual assemblies, the number of assemblies active in observing Bahá’í feasts, and the number of assemblies contributing to the national Bahá’í fund. An average activity level in percent is calculated from the average of the last two figures, divided by the total number of local spiritual assemblies.
This definition of activity level is based on the reasonable conclusion that a local spiritual assembly that neither observes the feasts nor donates money should be considered defunct. Members of such a community may still believe in Bahá'u'lláh, but they are inactive concerning the consolidation and growth of the Bahá’í religion.
Table 1: Regional Indicators of Growth and Activity Level among Bahá’ís Worldwide
|
Region |
1986 |
1992 |
Growth |
All |
Feast |
Fund |
Active |
|
Europe |
2,848 |
4,093 |
44% |
715 |
627 |
547 |
82% |
|
USA and Canada |
8,273 |
8,529 |
3% |
1,918 |
1,401 |
1,306 |
71% |
|
Australia and New Zealand |
625 |
501 |
-20% |
211 |
188 |
195 |
91% |
|
Western World |
11,746 |
13,123 |
12% |
2,844 |
2,216 |
2,048 |
75% |
|
India |
34,070 |
29,443 |
0% |
15,448 |
1,089 |
362 |
5% |
|
Other Asia |
14,660 |
21,676 |
48% |
2,076 |
597 |
487 |
26% |
|
Africa |
35,657 |
33,270 |
-7% |
7,258 |
2,175 |
1,044 |
22% |
|
Latin America |
18,297 |
18,941 |
4% |
4,582 |
760 |
455 |
13% |
|
Oceania |
2,277 |
3,593 |
58% |
646 |
359 |
200 |
43% |
|
Non-Western World |
104,961 |
106,923 |
2% |
30,010 |
4,980 |
2,548 |
13% |
|
World |
116,707 |
120,046 |
3% |
32,854 |
7,196 |
4,596 |
18% |
It is striking how different the activity levels are in various world regions. The majority of Bahá’ís in the "Western World" (Europe, USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) are considered active (75%), while only a minority in the "Non-Western World" are active (13%). India represents the lowest point with only 5% active, which aligns with an unofficial estimate of fewer than 100,000 active Bahá’ís in India. The table also includes data from two other Asian countries with large Bahá’í populations, Bangladesh and the Philippines. Bangladesh experienced very high growth, while the growth in the Philippines was below average from 1986 to 1992. Both countries showed low activity levels (12% and 14%). The figures for Japan are also interesting: it is a wealthy country with a well-educated population, and the Bahá’í community in Japan is quantitatively comparable to European Bahá’í communities. Yet, the activity level is 35% compared to 75% in Europe.
Iran would likely have shown a different pattern from other Asian countries, but the situation following the Iranian revolution led to the dissolution of the Iranian Bahá’í community as an organized entity.
There is no simple explanation for what appears to be a solid fact: the majority of Bahá’í communities in Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are active. In contrast, most Bahá’í communities elsewhere are not very active.
Table 2: Regional Changes in the Number of Local Spiritual Assemblies Worldwide
|
Region |
1979 |
1986 |
1993 |
1997 |
2001 |
|
Africa |
4,535 |
7,258 |
5,904 |
4,309 |
3,808 |
|
North and South America |
5,424 |
6,500 |
5,931 |
4,050 |
3,152 |
|
Asia |
12,473 |
17,524 |
7,419 |
5,489 |
2,948 |
|
Australia and Oceania |
578 |
857 |
876 |
952 |
856 |
|
Europe |
614 |
715 |
845 |
998 |
976 |
|
World |
23,624 |
32,854 |
20,975 |
15,798 |
11,740 |
The sources of the data are The Seven Year Plan 1979–1986. Statistical Report, p. 45 (BWC); The Bahá’í World 1992–93, p. 311; The Bahá’í World 1996–97, p. 314; The Bahá’í World 2000–01, p. 278. Data do not allow for the separation of USA and Canada or Australia and New Zealand from the rest of their respective regions.
This conclusion is further supported by the data in Table 2, which shows the regional changes in the number of local spiritual assemblies for the years 1979, 1986, 1993, 1997, and 2001. Europe is the only region where the number of local spiritual assemblies was larger in 2001 than in 1986 (separate data for the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are unfortunately not available). It is notable that the regions with the lowest activity levels in 1986 have also experienced the largest relative drop in the number of local spiritual assemblies since then. This likely reflects the negative impact of a mission strategy focused on mass conversions without subsequent consolidation in many Third World countries during the 1970s and 1980s.
An obvious explanation for the trends shown in Table 2 is that when a Bahá’í community becomes inactive, it probably no longer elects a local spiritual assembly. Consequently, the community is no longer counted in the statistics of local spiritual assemblies, yet it is still counted as a locality in the statistics. This resolves the apparent contradiction between the reported increase in the number of localities worldwide and the dramatic drop in the number of local spiritual assemblies, from nearly 33,000 in 1986 to less than 12,000 in 2001. (In Bahá’í terminology, a locality means a place or city where one or more Bahá’í individuals reside.)
Considering the data reported in the figures and tables, I can propose an estimate of both the total and the active Bahá’í population as of 2001. The estimates of the total number of Bahá’ís in Figure 4 are based on projections from the trends in the number of localities (Table 1), and the number of Bahá’ís considered active is then estimated according to the percentages calculated in Table 1.
The percentage of active Bahá’ís worldwide is only about 15%, corresponding to less than 800,000 Bahá’ís out of the more than five million registered as Bahá’ís. The number of Western Bahá’ís is estimated to be 175,000, a mere 3.4% of the total 5.1 million. However, 75% of Western Bahá’ís are considered active, and these approximately 130,000 active Bahá’ís constitute 17% of the approximately 765,000 real Bahá’ís worldwide.
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Estimated world Baha’i population in 2001
Total on paper about 5.1 million; Total active Baha’is about 765000 (15%)
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The figures for Europe warrant further commentary. I have estimated the total number of Bahá'ís in Europe to be 40,000. This may seem high, but it is actually a conservative estimate based on the significant growth in localities, from 2,848 in 1986 to 5,915 in 1996. On a strictly proportional basis, the number of Bahá'ís should have been about 45,000 in 1996 (there were 21,900 in 1986). However, the number of local spiritual assemblies (Table 2) has not kept pace with the increase in localities, making 40,000 a realistic figure.
Another bias in these figures may arise from the fact that Bahá'ís worldwide have begun following a long-standing Iranian Bahá'í practice of counting children born to Bahá'í parents as Bahá'ís. In Western Bahá'í communities, according to the Bahá'í teaching of "seeking the truth," believers cannot formally declare themselves as Bahá'ís before the Bahá'í age of maturity, which is 15 years. However, to show an increase in population, the format of the report forms to the Bahá'í World Centre was changed in 1980, and all children born to Bahá'í parents since then have been included in the statistics. The Bahá'í World Centre appears to have included children in the reported total number of believers from around 1986; in many cases, the number of children was computed from official population statistics due to a lack of reported data.
It is evident that membership data are affected by such a redefinition of who is a Bahá'í. Data for the Danish Bahá'í community indicate that registered Bahá'í children make up about 20% of the population of Bahá'ís over 15 years of age. In many non-Western countries, this proportion would likely be higher. The only safe conclusion that can be drawn is that if it were possible to exclude children in a reliable way, thereby getting the numbers of Bahá'ís above 15 years of age, the proportion of Western to non-Western Bahá'ís would increase.
In conclusion, does Figure 4 suggest that the official Bahá'í numbers are inflated? It depends on the definition of Bahá'í membership. Under the programs "Entry By Troops," "mass teaching," and "Ruhi classes," people in developing countries in Asia, Africa, and South America who considered Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá as pacifist gentlemen with good ideas like those of the local religions, and who participated in some teaching classes, were recorded as Bahá'ís, while they remained loyal to their previous religions.
In the West, the prevailing norm is that if you are a member of a minority religious group, you are expected to be active in that group. In the eyes of many Western Bahá'ís, most Bahá'ís in non-Western countries are therefore not "real" Bahá'ís by Western standards of activity and willingness to donate to the cause.
The Bahá'ís in the United States of America
Now, let us examine the statistics of the Bahá'í population in the U.S. in light of the information provided in the Ridván 2016 Annual Report of the National Spiritual Assembly of Bahá'ís of the United States, along with figures from the American official census:
- **Number of believers (Bahá'ís)**: 77,878
- Adults (age 21 and older): 67,679
- Youths (ages 15–20): 4,412
- Junior Youth (ages 12–14): 1,784
- Children (up to age 11): 4,003
Membership Statistics:
- Deaths: 258
- Withdrawals: 33
- Reinstatements: 48
- Transfers in (previous residents of USA): 261
- Transfers in (new arrivals to the USA): 77
- Transfers out / International Pioneers: 22
From April 20, 2015, through March 8, 2016
- Source: Unity Web
According to the U.S. Census Bureau (www.census.gov), in 2015, the death rate in the USA was 823.7 per 100,000. By considering this rate, and the figure of 258 deaths in the U.S. Bahá'í community for the same period, we estimate the Bahá'í population in the USA to be approximately 31,250. We should also consider that, according to Mr. Kenneth E. Bowers, the General Secretary of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís, the Bahá'í community in the USA is aging.
Conclusion: Locality Profiles
The Universal House of Justice likely recognized that, alongside some inflated or unreal statistics, the percentage of inactive Bahá'ís in regions like India, Asia, Africa, the USA, and Latin America is very high. Inactive Bahá'ís represent more of a burden than a resource for the Bahá'í administration.
As discussed, Bahá'ís do not lose their membership status simply by being inactive. Since these inactive Bahá'ís have not formally resigned, the Universal House of Justice would need to adopt a radical policy of instructing the national spiritual assemblies to remove inactive Bahá'ís from the membership lists if the goal was to count only active Bahá'ís. The issue of inflated official membership data arises from a lack of attention to formal statistics of Bahá'í populations in various countries, the current practice of not expelling inactive Bahá'ís, and neglecting governmental official censuses, including data from those who self-identify as Bahá'ís. Figure 4 indicates that the Bahá'í resource base is not very strong, which is crucial for a religion aiming to become a world religion of the future. Some parts of the text, figures, tables, and headings of this article are taken from chapter 5 of Margit Warburg's valuable work, *Citizens of the World: A History and Sociology of the Bahá'ís from a Globalization Perspective* (Brill, 2006). However, any errors or mistakes in this article are my responsibility.
Notes
1. *The Bahá'í World* 2000-2001, pp. 31-35
2. *The Bahá'í World* 2000-2001, p. 34; *The Bahá'í World* 2001-2002, pp. 29-31
3. In the yearbook series *The Bahá'í World*, it is stated every year since 1992-93 that the number of Bahá'ís in the world is "more than five million."
4. The official report of the Indian national statistics, 1999, scanned at [www.h-net.org/bahai/docs/vol3/incens/incens.htm](http://www.h-net.org/bahai/docs/vol3/incens/incens.htm)
5. Statistical figures about Iran (Issued by Iran Center of Statistics)
- **2006**
- Total population of Iran: 70,495,782
- Muslims: 70,097,741
- Christians: 109,415
- Jews: 9,252
- Zoroastrians: 19,823
- Others: 54,234
- Unexpressed: 205,317
- **2011**
- Total population of Iran: 75,149,669
- Muslims: 74,682,842
- Christians: 111,107
- Jews: 8,156
- Zoroastrians: 19,823
- Others: 54,223
- Unexpressed: 205,317
Since Bahá'ís are seriously forbidden by their officials from hiding their belief, we can conclude that the population of Bahá'ís in Iran was less than 54,234 in 2006, and less than 49,101 in 2011. This also aligns with the immigration trend of Iranian Bahá'ís, resulting in a decrease in their population in Iran, and an increase in the United States, Canada, and Australia year after year.
6. Stockman, "Re: Bahá'í Growth."
7. Stockman, "Re: Bahá'í Growth."
8. Smith, *A Concise Encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith*, pp. 142, 148.
9. The membership data are from the internal reports of membership data submitted each year from the national spiritual assemblies to the Bahá'í World Centre. The data were provided by the Bahá'í World Centre. (Bahá'í World Centre, Department of Statistics).
10. Membership data from the Bahá'í World Centre. (Bahá'í World Centre, Department of Statistics).
11. David B. Barrett, George T. Kurian, and Todd M. Johnson (eds.), *World Christian Encyclopedia: A Comparative Survey of Churches and Religions in the Modern World*, vol. 1, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2001, p. 4.
12. Barrett et al., *World Christian Encyclopedia*, pp. 236, 772.
13. The current total population of the Bahá'í community in the USA, according to the statistics provided in the 2016 USA National Convention Report, p. 79, is 77,878.
14. Denis MacEoin, "Bahá'ísm," in John R. Hinnels (ed.), *A Handbook of Living Religions*, Harmondsworth, Penguin, 1985, pp. 475-498.
15. MacEoin, "Bahá'ísm," pp. 475-498; Juan R. I. Cole, "The Bahá'í Faith in America as Panopticon, 1963–1997," *Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion*, vol. 37, 1998, pp. 234-248.
16. In the USA, 77,396 Bahá'ís were registered in 1978, but only 62% of them had confirmed addresses, see Cole, "The Bahá'í Faith in America as Panopticon." Newer data confirm this situation; for example, "According to the formal statistics provided in the 2016 USA National Convention Report, p. 79, their total population is 77,878 persons.
17. "Expansion," in Smith, *A Concise Encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith*, pp. 137-154; Susan Maneck, "Conversion Movements within Hindu Village Culture," [http://bahailibrary.org./unpubl.articles/hindu.conversion.html](http://bahailibrary.org./unpubl.articles/hindu.conversion.html); M. Vijayanunni, "Census of India 1991, Series-1, India, Paper 1 of 1995. Religion," New Delhi, Census Commission, 1995, Appendix A, *Documents of the Shaykhi, Bábí, and Bahá'í Movements*, vol. 3, no. 3, 1999, [http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~bahai/docs/vol3/incens/incens.htm](http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~bahai/docs/vol3/incens/incens.htm)
18. "The Bahá'í Faith & Religious Freedom of Conscience," [http://www.fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/FalseStats.htm](http://www.fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/FalseStats.htm). Accessed 6 February 2003.
19. William N. Garlington, "Bahá'í Bhajans," *World Order*, vol. 16, 1982, pp. 43-49; Margit Warburg, "Conversion: Considerations before a field-work in a Bahá'í village in Kerala," in Asko Parpola and Bent Smidt Hansen (eds.), *South Asian Religion and Society*, London, Curzon Press, 1986, pp. 223-235.
20. [Universal House of Justice], *The Three Year Plan 1993–1996. Summary of Achievements*, p. 165. (BWC). For the regions other than Europe and Africa, it is not possible to separate the data.
21. Searches on the Internet using the browser Google and the keywords "statistics" and "Bahá'í" have retrieved several discussion threads dealing with claims that the official Bahá'í statistics are inflated. On 31 October 2002, I retrieved a thread containing a message from nima_hazini@my-deja.com, stating: "2 million are claimed in India but insiders say the true number of real Bahá'ís there is closer to 100,000. Indians like to 'join' things, but go on being Hindus." The thread does not appear to be retrievable anymore, so the address does not appear in the bibliography.
According to the Official Report of the National Bahá’í Convention of India for the year 2009-2010 (167 B.E.), there were 54,285 registered Indian Bahá’ís.
In 1986
Japan: The number of local spiritual assemblies was 55 (Table 1).
Europe: For comparison, the figures for several European countries were:
Denmark: 11
France: 38
West Germany: 103
Italy: 54
The Netherlands: 29
Norway: 17
Spain: 48
Sweden: 25
Switzerland: 32
England (and Wales): 170
Source: The Seven Year Plan 1979–1986. Statistical Report, pp. 139–159. (BWC).
According to Susan Maneck, in the Bahá’í internet group (Bahai-st@list.jcc.edu), DD Jan 3, 2013, "The estimated 300,000 Iranian Bahá’ís is a rough figure provided by the Christian Church Encyclopedia and is not exact. Due to the immigration of Iranian Bahá’ís, there should not be more than 80,000 Bahá’ís in Iran currently. However, the Iranian Center of Statistics reported the number of 'others' in 2011 as 49,101 (see note 5 above)."
There are, of course, a few exceptions to this, and the general pattern is that smaller Bahá’í communities tend to be more active than larger ones. Source: The Seven Year Plan 1979–1986. Statistical Report, pp. 139–159. (BWC).
Figure 4 differs slightly from the corresponding figure in Margit Warburg's I Bahá’í [The Bahá’ís], Turin, Elledici, 2001, p. 71, due to a more detailed estimate of the Bahá’í population.
Pamela Carr from the Bahá’í World Centre's Department of Statistics, and Denis MacEoin in “Emerging from Obscurity? Recent Developments in Bahá’ísm,” Religion Today, vol. 3, no. 1, 1986, unpaged, noted that the numbers reflect this.
According to Wendi Momen (ed.), A Basic Bahá’í Dictionary, Oxford, George Ronald, 1991, p. 152, the practice of including children born to Bahá’í parents in membership statistics began to be recorded in the Seven Year Plan 1979–1986. Source: Statistical Report, p. 48. (BWC).
William N. Garlington's work, “Bahá’í Bhajans,” in The Bahá’í Faith in America, Praeger Publishers, 2005, p. 43, also discusses this practice.
Reference
Ridván 2016 Annual Report of the National Spiritual Assembly of Bahá’ís of the United States, p. 79.
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