2013 Publisher Statistics now available from 2014 Yearbook.

by jwfacts 35 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  jwfacts

  The 2014 Yearbook is out, and I have scanned the publisher figures into a more readable format at 2013 Service Year Report.

  I have updated some of the graphs at http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/statistics.php and will do the rest tonight.

  There are no real surprises, with very similar results as during the last couple of years. The religion continues to grow, but with increasing ineffectiveness. There are more hours being spent and more bible studies year on year, yet only a similar increase in publishers.
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  jwfacts

  Here are a couple of the more important graphs.

  

  

  

  
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  traveb

  It's interesting that during the 80's and through the mid 90's, the average amount of hours it took per baptism hovered around 3000. Then, starting in the late 90's, the average greatly increased, to almost 7000 now.
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  Oubliette

  Thanks for the updates. It's amazing how ineffective the Holy Spirit has become.
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  jwfacts

  One of the important figures to look at is the ratio of Bible Studies to Publishers, as this is a good predictor of growth. Globally there are more Bible Studies than publishers, and in countries with growth around 2% and more that is also generally the case. In the US growth is down to 1% and there are only 732,326 studies for 1,167,723 publishers. In Australia, the number of studies is less than half the number of publishers, which is why growth is now less than the population growth.
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  EndofMysteries

  The reason for the average increasing in the late 90's is because of one new variable. The internet.

  Prior to the late 90's, there was only the library and word of mouth. Now many who get knocked on their door can research JW's and see all the red flags and not continue whereas previously they bait and switch may have worked.
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  ABibleStudent

  Thanks jwfacts for the graphs!

  I feel that the increase in average number of publishers would be decreasing more than displayed if the WTBTS did not reduce how many hours it takes to be a publisher. It is humorous that the increase in average number of publishers is staying relatively constant, but that it takes significantly more hours for a Bible Student to become a publisher.

  Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

  Robert
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  jwfacts

  I feel that the increase in average number of publishers would be decreasing more than displayed if the WTBTS did not reduce how many hours it takes to be a publisher.

  Similarly for why conversions are taking so many hours is that the preaching work is such a joke now, with people sitting in a park or mall for a few hours next to a literature stand ignoring everyone.
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  Simon

  Great work on the stats - really helps to visualise their increasingly inefective efforts and the time being wasted by their members.

  I wonder what the hours equate to in human lives?
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  Londo111

  Poland, Germany, and Japan continue to decline.

  Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries seem to be on the forefront of growth for the Watchtower. If JWFacts gets translated into Spanish...maybe that can change!