Bahá’í World/Volume 31/Statistics
Statistics[edit]
| GENERAL STATISTICS | |
|---|---|
| Worldwide Bahá’í population | More than five million |
| Countries/dependent territories where the Bahá’í Faith is established | 191 countries/ 46 territories |
| Continental Counsellors | 81 |
| Auxiliary Board members | 990 |
| National/Regional Spiritual Assemblies | 182 |
| Local Spiritual Assemblies | 10,344 |
| Localities where Bahá’ís reside | More than 100,000 |
| 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 | 33 |
Geographic Distribution of Local Spiritual Assemblies by Continent[edit]
Asia 2,322
Americas 2,920
Africa 3,412
Europe 890
Australasia 800
Number of National and Regional Spiritual Assemblies[edit]
Social and Economic Development[edit]
Bahá’í development activities fall into three general categories. Whether initiated by Bahá’í institutions, individuals, or groups, these projects contribute to a global process of learning about a Bahá’í approach to social and economic development.
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, through the application of spiritual principles, the problems and challenges faced by their localities. Activities either originate in the Bahá’í communities themselves or are responses to invitations from other organizations. It is estimated that in 2002–03 there were more than 2,500 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.
SUSTAINED PROJECTS[edit]
The second category of Bahá’í social and economic development consists of approximately 500 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 train human resources and 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.