At the time of His passing Bahá'u'lláh left approximately 50,000 believers scattered in Iran and other Middle Eastern countries (ʿAbd-al-Bahāʾ, Majmūʿa-ye makātīb, Tehran, 1975, no. 13, photocopied ms., p. 3)". [BAHAISM v. The Bahai Community in Iran by V. Rafati]
• From 'Abdu'l-Bahá, "...at the time of Bahá'u'lláh's ascension, more than two hundred thousand souls had taken shelter beneath His blessed shadow and had attained the station of certitude." Twelve table talks given by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in 'Akká in the selection entitled (Christ and Bahá'u'lláh).
• The Faith had spread to 15 countries. [MBW61]
  • These countries were: Iraq, Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Burma, Egypt, Georgia, India, Israel (Palestine), Lebanon, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, and Turkmenistan. [Patheos website]

Stoyan Vatralsky, a Harvard educated, Bulgarian Christian, attacked the Bahá'ís, `Truth-knowers', in a series of talks in a church in Kenosha, Wisconsin. [BFA1:XXIX, 114–15; SBBH2:111 SBBH1p232; SBBH1p232-238]
• By this time two per cent of the population of Kenosha were Bahá'ís. [BFA1:114]
• See also WOB83 for others who wrote polemics against the Bahá'í Faith.

The Faith had spread to 35 countries, an increase of 20 since the passing of Bahá'u'lláh. [Patheos website]
• The additional countries were: Saudi Arabia, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Treat Britain, Hawaiian Islands, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Jordon, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, Tunisia, and the United States.

Number of National Spiritual Assemblies: 9

Number of Local Spiritual Assemblies: 90 [from a pamphlet, The Bahá'í Faith and its World Community published by the NSA of Canada]

Shoghi Effendi cabled the Bahá'í world with the successes of the Bahá'í work in the past year. [MBW3]
• The number of sovereign states and dependencies where the Faith was established reached 100, an increase of 22 countries since 1944.

  Approximate number of Localities where Bahá'ís resided in the largest Bahá'í communities.

• European Goal Countries: --> Over thirty localities.
• Germany and Austria: --> Over forty localities.
• British Isles: --> Over fifty localities.
• Australia and New Zealand: --> Over sixty localities.
• Dominion of Canada: --> Over eighty localities.
• India, Pakistan and Burma: --> Over eighty localities.
• Latin America: --> Over one hundred localities.
• Persia: --> Over seven hundred localities.
• United States of America: --> Over eleven hundred localities. [Baha'i Historical Facts, January 15, 2018 quoted from The Bahá'í Faith 1844-1950 Information Statistical and Comparative compiled by Shoghi Effendi]

The Second Seven Year Plan ended with 2,425 localities, 611 local spiritual assemblies, 100 countries, islands and dependencies opened to the Faith. There were 12 national assemblies to this date; [UC43]
Accomplishments:
• NSAs in Canada, Central and South America;
• Assisted the systematic spread of Faith in Europe, incl. forming 10 LSAs in goal cities;
• Interior ornamentation complete;
• Supported the building of the Shrine of the Báb;
• Expansion and more LSAs on homefront. [The Spiritual Conquest of the Planet (Supplement) p2]
• From 1921 to this time the Faith had expanded to 128 countries and territories, 15 during the time of Baha'u'llah, 20 during the time of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and an additional 58 under the stewardship of the Guardian. [Patheos website]

The Ten Year Crusade (1953-1963) was launched. See MBW151-156, MBW151.

The four primary goals of the plan were outlined as follows:
  -the development of institutions at the World Centre
  -consolidation of the twelve countries where the Faith was well established
  -consolidation of all other territories already open
  -the opening of the remaining "chief virgin territories" around the globe (131)

For the objectives of the Crusade see BW12:256–14. Among the goals to be achieved was the construction of the International Bahá'í Archives building. [BBD22; DH168; MBW43] "the first of the major edifices destined to constitute the seat of the World Bahá'í Administrative Centre to be established on Mount Carmel". [PP264]

To those Bahá'ís who arose to open new territories to the Faith during the Ten Year Crusade, the title 'Knight of Bahá'u'lláh' was given. On 27 May 1992, the Roll of Honour containing the names of all the Knights of Bahá'u'lláh was deposited beneath the entrance door to the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh.

"…Sometimes people strive all their lives to render outstanding service. Here is the time and opportunity to render historic services; in fact, the most unique in history, aiding in the fulfillment of Daniel's Prophecies of the Last Day, and the 1335 days, when men are to be blessed by the Glory of the Lord, covering the entire globe—which is the real goal of the Ten Year Crusade. [DG54-55]

A map of goals for the Ten Year World Crusade by Shoghi Effendi can be found in Bahá'í World, Vol. 12 (April 1950-1954). Electronic versions, in both medium and large format can be found here.

The achievements of the Ten Year Crusade were celebrated at the Most Great Jubilee in April and May 1963, which commemorated the Centenary of the Declaration of Baha'u'llah's Mission. Two historic events transpired during that time: the International Convention, convened in Haifa, Israel, to elect the first Universal House of Justice; and the World Congress held in London, England.

• See The Journal of Bahá'í Studies Vol 14, no. 3-4, 2004 for the essay The Ten Year Crusade by Ali Nakhjavani.
• See CBN No 66 July 1956 in a message dated the 13 of May 1956 Leroy Ioas, (unsure if it was sent on behalf of the Guardian or from the International Bahá'í Council, probably the former), Mr Ioas outlined the three phases of the Crusade; First Phase: open virgin territories, Second Phase: 1. widespread dispersal, 2. settlement in new areas, 3. formation of Local Assemblies and National Assemblies, 4. incorporate Local Assemblies. Third Phase: (open on 21 April 1956, the formation of National Assemblies, with their own Haziratu'l-Quds, have their own endowments and to be incorporated.
• See The Bahá'í Faith 1844-1952 Information Statistical and Comparative (PDF) compiled by Shoghi Effendi.
• For a graphic representation of the goals of the Ten Year Crusade see Objectives and Tasks of Ten-Year Spiritual Global Crusade of the Bahá'í World Faith by Shoghi Effendi compiled by Beatrice Ashton published in Bahá'í World, Vol. 12 (April 1950-19540).
• Map of Goals for the Ten Year World Crusade by Shoghi Effendi published in Bahá'í World, Vol. 12 (April 1950-1954) Wilmette, IL: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1956.
• Progress Bahá'í World Crusade 1953-1958 was the map that Shoghi Effendi finished on the night of his passing.
• At the start of the Ten Year Crusade the only sovereign countries in Africa were Egypt and Ethiopia, the remainder were still under the yoke of colonialism.
• Many who arose as pioneers to the African continent came from Iran, the United States, the United Kingdom, and India. In Southern Africa alone, 27 pioneers arrived in the first year of the Crusade. Among them were Melvin and Helen Hope in Angola; Fred and Beth Laws in Lesotho; Enayat Sohaili and 'Izzat Zahrai in Mozambique; Mehranguiz Munsiff in Madagascar; Ottilie Rhein in Mauritius; Lowell and Edith Johnson, William, Marguerite and Michael Sears and Harry and Bahíyyih Ford in South Africa; Claire Gung in Southern Rhodesia; and Ted Cardell in South West Africa. In the whole of Africa, 58 of the international pioneers opened new territories and were named Knights of Bahá'u'lláh [A Brief Account of the Progress of the Bahá'í Faith in Africa Since 1953 by Nancy Oloro-Robarts and Selam Ahderom p3]

Republics of Russia with no Bahá'ís: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldavia, Ukraine, and White Russia (Belarus)
Satellite countries with no Bahá'ís: Albania Roumania (Romania) Mongolia, Sakhalin Island, and Hainan Island. [1 January 1957]

It was reported in the Canadian Bahá'í News, based on the Guardian's message of the 18th of July, that the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran had the intention of publishing a newsletter every 60 days. The publication was to be sent to all National Spiritual Assemblies as well as their local communities. They reported that:
• The Faith had been established in more than 1060 centres in Iran, this was up from 750 when the persecutions started in 1955.
• They reported that the persecutions were gradually subsiding. The government agreed to return the Haziratu'l-Quds and the National Hazira to the Bahá'is under the proviso that no meetings be held in the buildings.
• They disseminate the news of the victories in other parts of the world to all the communities in Iran.
• They said, "One fortunate circumstance that compensates for all the persecution of the Friends in Iran is the constant communication with the World Centre of the Cause of God and the Beloved Guardian.
• The Friends are going on pilgrimage and upon their return shared the messages and news from the Holy Land. There were 64 pilgrims in the year 113.
• Since the National Spiritual Assembly was responsible for the administration of the Faith in Turkey, the Turkish pilgrims have been providing the Iranians with their messages and glad-tidings. There were 32 pilgrims from Turkey the previous year. [CBN No 93 Oct 1957 p5]

From a message from the Guardian dated October 1957
• Number of Bahá'í Centres from 2500 to 4500
• Number of sovereign States and Dependencies: from 128 to 254
• Number of National and Regional Spiritual Assemblies; from 12 to 26
• Number of Local Spiritual Assemblies; more than 1,000
• Number of islands open to the Faith: 70
• The erection and completion of the International Bahá'í Archives Building at a cost of $250M
• The enlargement of the scope of Bahá'í international endowments in the twin cities of 'Akka and Haifa at a present value of $5.5m
• The Bahá'í holdings in Iran estimated at over 40m tumans
• The acquisition of 48 National Haziratu'l-Quds at more than $500
• The founding of Bahá'í national endowments in no less than 50 capitals and chief cities on all five continents, at a cost of at least $150,000
• The initiation of the construction of the Mother Temples of both Africa and Australia
• The purchase of 11 Temple sites for over $400,000
• The incorporation of over 90 national and local Spiritual assemblies raising the global total to over 200
• The translation of Bahá'í literature into 148 languages bringing the total to 237

Hand of the Cause of God Dr Rahmatu'lláh Muhájir traveled to India and demonstrated the principle of mass teaching. [DM172–84; SBBH2:165–7]
• Mass teaching began in the rural area of Madhya Pradesh among the Hindu population. In 1961 there were 850 Bahá'ís; in 1963 87,000; by 1973 nearly 400,000; and by 1987 about two million. In 1983 45 per cent of all local spiritual assemblies were in India. [BBRSM195; BW13:299]

The Ten Year Crusade was successfully completed. The achievements of the Ten Year Crusade were celebrated at the Most Great Jubilee in April and May 1963, which commemorated the Centenary of the Declaration of Baha'u'llah's Mission. Two historic events transpired during that time: the International Convention, convened in Haifa, Israel, to elect the first Universal House of Justice; and the World Congress held in London, England.
• For a summary of achievements during the Crusade see BW13:459–60.
• For countries, islands and dependencies opened to the Faith during the Crusade see BW13:461–2. (259)
  • During the Ten Year Crusade the Faith had expanded to 93 more countries and major territories. bringing the total to 259. [Patheos website]
• For number of localities in which Bahá'ís reside in different parts of the world see BW13:462. (from 2,000 to more than 11,000)
• For languages into which Bahá'í literature has been translated see BW13:462–4.
• For races represented in the Bahá'í world community see BW13:464.
• For national spiritual assemblies at the end of the plan see BW13:468–9. (from 12 to 56)
• See The Bahá'í Faith: 1844-1963: Information Statistical and Comparative, Including the Achievements of the Ten Year International Bahá'í Teaching & Consolidation Plan 1953-1963 compiled by the Hands of the Cause Residing in the Holy Land.
• See also Addenda to Statistical Information Published by the Hands of the Cause of God Residing in the Holy Land in Ridván 1963. This publication shows the countries and territories opened by the Faith as well as "supplementary accomplishments".

The Universal House of Justice released statistics on the growth and spread of the Bahá'í Faith at Ridván. [BW14:124–35]
• Localities: 15,186
• Local Assemblies: 4,566
• National Assemblies: 69

Number of Localities where Bahá'ís Reside:
United States ............. 2,533
Worldwide ................ 33,326

Number of Administrative Bodies:
National spiritual assemblies ................ 83
Local spiritual assemblies worldwide .............. 6,828
Local spiritual assemblies in the United States ............ 440

Number of languages into which Bahá'í literature has been translated ..... 428

Bahá'í schools and institutes-worldwide ........ 109

Sites acquired for future houses of worship ....... 51

Number of tribes and minority groups representedworldwide .............. 1,136 [Bahá'í National Review Issue 20 August 1969 p16]

     Countries opened to the Faith:
          Independent countries                134
          Significant territories and islands  179
                                  Total        373

     Number of localities where Bahá'ís reside   43,341

     Number of local spiritual assemblies        10,318

Local Assemblies: 10,461

National Assemblies: 113 [from a pamphlet published by the NSA of Canada "Baha'i A New Man A New World Order"]

Local Assemblies: 13,737

National Assemblies: 113

Tribes and minorities represented: 1,191

Literature translated into 567 languages

Schools and Institutes: 153

Independent countries and important territories opened to the Bahá'í Faith: 317 [from a pamphlet published by the NSA of Canada "Baha'i A New Man A New World Order"]

   Now, on the occasion of the commencement of the construction of the seat of the Universal House of Justice, they recounted the progress of the Faith in the eighteen years since the completion of the first building on the Arc, the International Archives Building in June of 1957. In the time between 1957 to 1975.......
  - National Spiritual Assemblies have increased from 26 to 119
  - Local Spiritual Assemblies have increased from 1,000 to 17,000
  - Localities have increased from 4,500 to over 70,000 [Message from the Universal House of Justice dated 5 June 1975]

The world population of Bahá'ís was estimated to be 3,217,000. [BW19p67]

A Bahá'í International Conference to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the passing of the Greatest Holy Leaf was held in Lagos, Nigeria, attended by some 1,110 Bahá'ís from 46 countries representing some 90 ethnic groups. [BW18:100; VV61]
• For the message of the Universal House of Justice see BW18:158–9 In the message the Universal House of Justice reported that in a little more than three decades there were 37 National Spiritual Assemblies, 4,490 Local Assemblies, 29,000 localities with believers drawn from 1,152 tribes.
• For a pictorial report see BW18:144–6.

In response to the Iranian authorities banning all Bahá'í administrative and community activities and the making of membership in a Bahá'í assembly a criminal offence, as their last act the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran sent an open letter to the Prosecutor General of the Islamic Revolution refuting the false charges made against the Bahá'ís and informing him of their willingness to obey the government and disband the Bahá'í administration. [BW19:43]
• In this letter, which was delivered to some 2,000 government officials and prominent persons, the National Spiritual Assembly called on the authorities to end the persecution, arrest, torture, and imprisonment of Bahá'ís "for imaginary crimes and on baseless pretexts, because God knows—and so do the authorities—that the only 'crime' of which these innocent ones are guilty is that of their beliefs... ." Emphasizing the implausibility of the espionage allegations, the letter asked: "What kind of spy is an 85-year-old man from Yazd who has never set foot outside his village? … How could students, housewives, innocent young girls, and old men and women… be spies? How could [village farmers] be spies? What secret intelligence documents have been found in their possession? What espionage equipment has come to hand? What 'spying' activities were engaged in by the primary school children who have been expelled from their schools?" The letter further emphasized that "spying is an element of politics, while noninterference in politics is an established principle of the Bahá'í faith." Responding to the accusation that Bahá'ís had been "hoarding" spare automobile parts, the National Spiritual Assembly objected: "[i]f the Prosecutor chooses to label the Bahá'í administration as a network of espionage, let him at least consider it intelligent enough not to plan the overthrow of such a strong regime by hoarding a few spare parts!" The letter also drew attention to the fact that while Muslims were praised for sending money abroad (e.g. to Iraq and Jerusalem) for the upkeep of religious shrines, when a Bahá'í did the same, it was considered "an unforgivable sin and… proof that he has done so in order to strengthen other countries [particularly Israel]." [A Faith Denied: The Persecution of the Baha'is of Iran]
• In a gesture of good will and in accordance with their law of obedience to the government the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Iran and all local assemblies were dissolved. In its place, they formed groups of three persons in cities and villages called Khadimeen ("Servants"), and on the national level named the Yaran-e Iran to address the immediate needs of the community such as births, marriages, divorces, burial ceremonies and other services. [BW19:62]

  Since the 1920s when the Bahá'í administration was introduced in Iran they had made considerable progress.

  1950     Local Spiritual Assemblies: 280        Localities: 712
  1968     Local Spiritual Assemblies: 560        Localities: 1,541
  1979     Local Spiritual Assemblies: 679        Localities: 1,699 

  [BAHAISM v. The Bahai Community in Iran by V. Rafati]

Number of National Spiritual Assemblies: 148

Number of Local Spiritual Assemblies: 29,664

Indigenous tribes, races and ethnic groups represented in the Faith: 2,112 [from a pamphlet, The Bahá'í Faith and its World Community published by the NSA of Canada]

The National Spiritual Assembly of Guyana announced that the Bahá'ís constitute about five percent of the total population of the country. [BINS228:1]
• In some towns over 20 percent of the people are Bahá'ís. [BINS228:1]

Number of Local Assemblies - more than 17,000

Number of nationalities and tribes represented is estimated at 2,112 [B'91pg54 note 2]

Number of localities - over 108,000. [CoB375]

Number of languages - over 800 [B'91pg3]

The Second Holy Year commenced. [Ridván 1992; AWH40, 90, 95–6; BW92–3:20; VV127, 133]
• For the purpose of the Holy Year see AWH96–7, 107–9 and BW92–93:20, 29–30.
• For the significance of Holy Year see BW92–3:95–6, AWH107-109.
• From the Ridván Message...
  The Faith of Bahá'u'lláh is represented in every country on earth. The sudden change in the political climate, no doubt by intervention of God's Major Plan, opened vast regions to the penetration of the divine teachings, primarily in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries. The opportunities created by this change made possible the settlement of Knights of Bahá'u'lláh in the last virgin territories that remained from Shoghi Effendi's Ten Year World Crusade. They also impelled the launching at Ridván 1990 of the subsidiary Two Year Plan for those regions. This supplementary Plan was a spectacular success, not only in terms of expansion in the many countries involved, but also in the diversity of the strata represented by the new believers in these countries, in the volume and variety of Bahá'í literature published and in the array of Bahá'í institutions established during that short time. The Bahá'í world was highly stimulated by these developments, and a number of countries elsewhere recorded significant successes in the teaching work…

The Three Year Plan (1993-1996) was launched. [VV142]
• For statistics about the Bahá'í Faith at the beginning of the Plan see BW92–93p311–314 and BW93–94p323–326.
• The objectives of the Three Year Plan. [Message 30 September 1992]
• See BW95-96p65-68 for a summary of the achievements of the Three Year Plan.

The estimated figures for the total number of individual tablets written by Bahá'u'lláh, 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi were as follows but it is known that many texts were lost, stolen, or destroyed, and many others are still held in private hands.
• Bahá'u'lláh:
  • 7,160 tablets archived
  • 15,000 total estimated to have been written
    

• 15,549 tablets archived
• 30,800 total estimated to have been written

• 16,370 letters archived
• 30,100 total estimated to have been written
  

"As of Riḍván 1997, all Local Spiritual Assemblies throughout the world will have to be elected on the First Day of Riḍván." (31 December 1995 – To the Bahá'ís of the World)

"This development was related to the fact that, while believers from outside a locality could assist with the electoral process, the primary responsibility for electing any Assembly and maintaining its operations rests with the Bahá'ís of that place" (30 December 2021 – To the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors)

With these new assemblies, the number of National Spiritual Assemblies rose to 179. [Ridván 155]

Further, in its message of 26 November 1999 it stated that "An impressive network of training institutes on a scale but dimly imagined at the start of the Plan has been established throughout the world. These nascent centres of learning have made significant strides in developing formal programmes and in putting into place effective systems for the delivery of courses. Reports indicate that the number of believers benefiting directly from training courses has climbed to nearly 100,000." [Message 26 November, 1999]

The commencement of a new five-year term of service for members of the Continental Boards of Counsellors for the Protection and Propagation of the Faith. The number of Counsellors remained at eighty-one. The appointments were:
• AFRICA (19 Counsellors): Beth Allen, George Allen, Beatrice Asare, Asfaw Tessema, Niaz Bushrui, Mehraz Ehsani (Trustee of the Continental Fund), Clement-Thyrrel Feizoure, Kobina Fynn, Ibrahim Galadima, Kamaye Moussa, Eddy Lutchmaya, Enos Makhele, Maina Mkandawire, Rachel Ndegwa, Muhammad Otmani, Ahmad Parsa, Garth Pollock, Antoinette Ziehi, Tiati a Zock.
• THE AMERICAS (19 Counsellors): Eugene Andrews, Eloy Anello, Stephen Birkland, Gustavo Correa, Irma Nelly de Dooki, Abdu'l-Missagh Ghadirian, Angelica Huerta, Antonio Gabriel Marques, Herve Masrour, Catherine Monajjem, Rebequa Murphy, Carmen Elisa de Sadeghian, Arturo Serrano, Crystal Shoaie, David Smith, Marilyn Smith, Leticia de Solano, Rodrigo Tomas (Trustee of the Continental Fund), Dorothy Whyte.
• ASIA (19 Counsellors): Fadel Ardakani, Baatar Uransaikhan, Nidavanur Baskaran, Irene Chung, Jabbar Eidelkhani, Bijan Farid, Elena Grouzkova, David Huang (Trustee of the Continental Fund), Humaida Jumalon, Lee Lee udher, Delafruz Nassimova, Lori Noguchi, Jaya Gopan Ramasamy, Lateef Rashid, Foad Reyhani, Payam Shoghi, Zena Sorabjee, George Soraya, Rosalie Tran.
• AUSTRALASIA (11 Counsellors): Beatrice Benson, Donald Blanks, David Chittleborough (Trustee of the Continental Fund), Jalal Mills, Sirus Naraqi, Manijeh Reyhani, Heather Simpson, Henry Tamashiro, Erama Ugaia, Robin White, Fereidoun Yazdani.
• EUROPE (13 Counsellors): Fevziye Baki, Alla Borets, Uta von Both, Firouzeh Moghbel, Paul Ojermark, Patrick O'Mara (Trustee of the Continental Fund), Shahriar Razavi, Ilhan Sezgin, Nosrat Tirandaz, Nicola Towfigh, Larissa Tsutskova, Sohrab Youssefian, Ivo Zerbes.
• The following believers were relieved of the duties of membership on the Boards of Counsellors: Borhanoddin Afshin, Ben Ayala, Hooshidar Balazadeh, Patricia Coles, Parvine Djoneydi, Wilma Ellis, Tod Ewing, Shidan Fat'he-Aazam, Linda Gershuny, Louis Henuzet, Hizzaya Hissani, Nobuko Iwakura, Abbas Katirai, Zekrullah Kazemi, Kim Myungjung, Jacqueline Left Hand Bull, Betra Majmeto, Peter McLaren, Alejandra Miller, Perin Olyai, Nabil Perdu, Maija Pihlainen, Ruth Pringle, Polin Rafat, Daniel Ramoroesi, Shapour Rassekh, Cyrus Rohani, Vicente Samaniego, Isabel de Sanchez, Bruce Saunders, Errol Sealy, Edith Senoga, Farhad Shayani, Tiberiu Vajda, Lally Warren, Wingi Mabuku. [From a message from the Universal House of Justice dated the 29th of October, 2000]

In 1990 there were only 70 Bahá'í in Hungary. At the time of the opening of the new national centre there were more than 1,200 spread among some 65 localities. More than two-thirds of the membership are members of the Roma people. [BWNS187]

The Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) provided data from the World Christian Database (2010) regarding the distribution of the Bahá'í population throughout the world.

Nations (population 200,000+) with the highest percentage of their population Bahá'ís:

      1) Belize, 7,742 adherents indicating 2.5% of the population.

      2) Bolivia, 215,359 adherents indicating 2.2% of the population.

      3) Zambia, 231,112 adherents indicating 1.8% of the population.

Nations (population 200,000+) with the highest number of Bahá'ís:

      1) India, 1,897,651 believers (0.2% of the population).

      2) United States, 512,864 believers (0.2% of the population).

      3) Kenya, 422,782 believers (0.1% of the population).

For the full dataset go to the ARDA website. [ARDA]

• A chart showing world religions by adherents for 1910 and 2010 was published in The World's Religions in Figures: An Introduction to International Religious Demography, by John Wiley & Sons, 2013 pages 10, 59-62

The annual number of seminars for undergraduate students offered by the Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity rose from 21 at the start of the Plan to 39. More than 4,000 youth in more than 60 countries were served.
• The seminar for university graduates and for young professionals, first offered in North America in 2008, was extended to Australia, Europe, Latin America and south and Southeast Asia over the duration of the Plan. As of this date more than 700 individuals had taken part. [The Five Year Plan 2011-2016: Summary of Achievements and Learning pg113] iiiii

The launch of the Fourth Five Year Plan (2016-2021).
• The principal goals of the Plan were to "seek to raise the number of clusters where a programme of growth has become intensive to 5,000 by Riḍván 2021" and to add "several hundred more" to some two hundred clusters that have already advanced beyond the third milestone. [Message dated 29 December 2015 from the Universal House of Justice to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors.

  Other messages related to the Plan are:

  • 2 January 2016 – To the Bahá'ís of the World
  • 26 March 2016 – To the Bahá'ís of the World acting under the Mandate of 'Abdu'l-Bahá
  • 26 March 2016 – To the chosen recipients of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablets of the Divine Plan, the Bahá'ís of the United States and the Bahá'ís of Canada
  • Riḍván 2016 – To the Bahá'ís of the World

    Objectives

  • institute process to gain strength
  • strengthen the pattern of life (Nucleus of friends 29 December2015)
  • build the capacity to accompany
  • widen the circle of participation
  • to have 5,000 intensive programs of growth
  • there will be "Precious possibilities that will not return" (Ridván2016)
  • the Area Teaching Committes to rise to a new level of functioning
  • the Local Spiritual Assemblies development for increased capacity
  • to commemorate the Bicentenials in 2017 and 2019, the Ascension in 2021
  • All the the followers of Bahá'u'lláh have learned in the last 20 year will culminate in the accomplishments of the next 5. [29 December 2015]

In a message addressed to the Bahá'ís of the World on of the Day of the Covenant, the Universal House of Justice marked the beginning of a new five-year term of service for the Auxiliary Board Members and announced an augmentation in the number of members by 144 bringing the total to 1,134 members distributed evenly between the Propagation and the Protection Boards.
• In the same message it announced plans for a series of conferences called by the International Teaching Centre where the Auxiliary Board Members would be assisted in the deepening of their understanding of the spiritual nature of their work and the wide-ranging responsibilities they will shoulder.

The population of the Bahá'ís of the world was given as 8,327,581 or 0.10% of the population.
1. India 2,011,510
2. USA 543,635
3. Kenya 448,148
4. Vietnam 412,130
5. Democratic Republic of the Congo 299,890
6. Philippines 291,573
7. Iran 266,194
8. Zambia 255,578
9. South Africa 252,843
10. Bolivia 228,280

    ["Truth of Life" channel on YouTube]

The announcement of the opening of an educational centre at the Bahá'í Lotus Temple. The educational facility, which can accommodate hundreds, will be used to host camps, courses, and seminars for youth and young adults who are involved in efforts to improve their communities. With the opening of the new educational facility, many more will be able to attend these programs than was previously possible.
• Shaheen Javid, General Manager of the House of Worship reported that the Temple, which opened in 1986, received 10,000–15,000 visitors on weekdays and over 35,000 on weekends. [BWNS1234]

The end of the Five Year Plan marked the conclusion of a series of plans that began in 1996 with the Four Year Plan (1996-2000) and the call to establish a series of Training Institutes. Next came the Twelve Month Plan (2000-2001) followed by four Five Year Plans, 2001-2006,2006-2011, 2011-2016 and finally, the Fourth Five Year Plan (2016-2021). For a synopsis of the progress of the Faith during this period see the Ridván Message.

Achievements of the last Five Year Plan (2016-2021)

• Two Bicentenaries were commemorated, the anniversary of the birth of Bahá'u'lláh on the 21st and the 22nd of October in 2017 and the birth of the Báb on the 29th and 30th of October in 2019.
• The last continental House of Worship was completed in Santiago in 2016.
• Other Houses of Worship were completed, Battambang (National)(2017), Villa Rica Cauca (Local) (2018), Port Moresby(National) (2016), Matunda Soy (Local) (2019), and Tanna (Local) (2019).
• Designs for Houses of Worship in Bihar Sharif and Kinshasa were completed in 2020.
• Some 300,000 core activities were sustained, a rise from 100,000 at the beginning of the Plan. Participation had risen above 2,000,000 (3 fold).
• There were some 329 national and regional training institutes in operation.
• By this time 750,000 people had completed Book 1. The number of courses completed by individuals was at 2,000,000, a rise of over 1/3 in 5 years.
• Clusters where there were Intensive Programs of Growth was at 4,000 (hindered by the global health crisis).
• Those Clusters where the third Milestone was passed was at 200 in 40 counties at the beginning of the Plan has risen to 1,000 in 100 countries. There were over 30 clusters where the number of core activities exceeded 1,000, in places, several thousand involving the participation of more than 20,000 people in a single cluster.
• Evidence of the society-building power of the Faith was becoming more and more evident. In some instances there has been a movement of populations where age-old hostilities were being left behind. A significant advance in the process of entry by troops has been achieved.
• There has been an "undreamed capacity to learn, to grow, and to serve humanity.

  This date marked the beginning of the Third Epoch of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Divine Plan. [Message 30 December 2021]

Participants in Core Activities: 2016 approx 333,000          2021 2,000,000

Number of National and Regional Training Institutes in Operation:      2021 329

Number of participants who have complete at least one book in the sequence:      2021 750,000

Number of courses completed by participants in the main sequence of courses: 2016 approx. 666,666     2021 2,000,000

Number of Clusters with an Intensive Program of Growth:      2021 approx. 4,000

Number of Cluster that have passed the third milestone: 2016 20 in 40 countries          2021 1,000 in nearly 100 countries. [Riḍván Message 2021]

They said that this process had been approved and adopted over the two previous years. [Paragraph 32]

In an article in the Jewish News Syndicate dated the 9th of January 2023 it was announced that the Shrine was expected to be ready by the end of 2024. Quoting the public information officer at the Bahá'í World Center, Sala Sabet, and David Freeman, the Jerusalem representative of the Bahá'í International Community, the article included some statistics about the project and the Faith in general.
• The cost of construction the Shrine itself is expected to be about $75 million.
• It will stretch across 3,000 square meters (32,300 square feet) and will be surrounded by flowering gardens on an area of approximately 58,000 square metres (14.33 acres)
• About 1.2 million people visited the Bahá'í Holy Sites in 2019 including about 5,000 Bahá'í pilgrims.
• More than 700 Bahá'í volunteers from 80 countries were currently servicing the sites in Israel, about 20% of whom were gardeners.
• Some 8.5 million Bahá'ís lived in 190 countries, as of that date, including 2 million in India, which has the largest Bahá'í community.