Bahá’í World/Volume 28/Statistics
| Bahá’í World/Volume 28 Statistics |
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STATISTICS[edit]
General Statistics
| Worldwide Bahá’í population | more than 5 million |
| Countries/dependent territories where the Bahá’í Faith is established | 190 countries/ 45 territories |
| Continental Counsellors | 81 |
| Auxiliary Board members serving throughout the world | 990 |
| National/Regional Spiritual Assemblies | 181 |
| Local Spiritual Assemblies | 12,591 |
| Localities where Bahá’ís reside | 129,949 |
| Indigenous tribes, races, and ethnic groups represented in the Bahá’í community | 2,112 |
| Languages into which Bahá’u’lláh’s writings have been translated | 802 |
| Publishing Trusts | 32 |
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[Page 314]
Geographic Distribution of Local Spiritual Assemblies by Continent[edit]
| Asia | 3,722 |
| Africa | 3,716 |
| Americas | 3,330 |
| Europe | 946 |
| Australasia | 877 |
Growth in the Number of Localities Where Bahá’ís Reside[edit]
140,000 120,000 100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 0
1953 1956 1959 1962 1965 1968 1971 1974 1977 1980 1983 1986 1989 1992 1995 1998
[Page 315]
STATISTICS[edit]
Growth in the Number of National and Regional Spiritual Assemblies
Activities of Fixed Duration[edit]
Most Bahá’í social and economic development efforts are fairly simple activities of fixed duration in which Bahá’ís in villages and towns around the world address the problems and challenges faced by their localities through the application of spiritual principles. These activities either originate in the Bahá’í communities themselves or are a response to the invitation of other organizations. It is estimated that in 1999-2000 there were more than 1,500 endeavors of this kind, including tree-planting and clean-up projects, health camps, workshops and seminars on such themes as race unity and the advancement of women, and short-term training courses.
Social and Economic Development[edit]
Bahá’í development activities are initiated either by Bahá’í administrative institutions or by individuals or groups. Together, these activities contribute to a global process of learning about a Bahá’í approach to social and economic development. They presently fall into three general categories.
[Page 316]
Sustained Projects[edit]
The second category of Bahá’í social and economic development consists of approximately 331 ongoing projects. The vast majority are academic schools, while others focus on areas such as literacy, basic health care, immunization, substance abuse, child care, agriculture, the environment, or microenterprise. Some of these projects are administered by nascent development organizations which have the potential to grow in complexity and in their range of influence.
Organizations with Capacity to Undertake Complex Action[edit]
Certain Bahá’í development efforts have achieved the stature of development organizations with relatively complex programmatic structures and significant spheres of influence. They systematically train human resources and manage a number of lines of action to address problems of local communities and regions in a coordinated, interdisciplinary manner. Also included in this category are several institutions—especially large schools—which, although focusing only on one field, have the potential to make a significant impact. In this category there are currently 45 such organizations.