WOSM Official membership data
WOSM maintains official membership records of all of its Member Organizations, and additional data gathered by the World Scout Bureau. Overall, WOSM’s membership census data reveals a thriving and diverse global movement united in its commitment to contributing to the education of young people and creating a better world.
The official membership census of WOSM is based on data provided by National Scout Organizations and covers both youth members and adult volunteers. The census includes information on total membership, male, female and other membership breakdowns and age ranges for its programme sections. The collected data is used to track changes in membership over time, identify areas of growth or decline, and help World Scouting plan for the future. The WOSM membership census is an essential tool for understanding the impact of Scouting worldwide, and for ensuring that resources are allocated effectively to support Scouting programmes and activities.
Additional data insights captured into the WOSM Membership Report 2024
The report also provides insights gained through additional data outreach conducted by the World Scout Bureau (WOSM Estimated census) and captures more recent NSO census submissions, offering more recent insights into the WOSM membership. This allows for an accurate and up-to-date overview of the WOSM membership and captures significant increases in membership such as:
- Kenya (+ 2,155,404 members)
- The Philippines (+ 772,033 members)
- Bangladesh (+ 153,518 members)
- Nepal (+72,667 members)
- Additional census entries balance (+ 1,265 members)
With the new data, the current WOSM membership, according to the WOSM Official Census entries available as of July 2024, is 48,228,194 members based on NSO census submissions. In comparison to 2021, this shows an increase of 3,168,579 members (+7%) in 2023 and the first half of 2024 compared to the membership increase reported according to the 2022 Official census (5.1%). These increases indicate strong momentum in growing the WOSM membership, which will be officially reported at the beginning of 2025.
The WOSM Estimated Census 2024 membership update provided additional insights into the NSO's activities in the area of membership growth to control for factors that prevent the full WOSM membership from being captured in the WOSM official census reported by NSOs [see details in the Methodology section]. The current membership, based on the WOSM Estimated Census 2024, is set at 57,040,310 members.
Detailed information and additional support regarding NSO Annual Reporting to WOSM can be found at the following link.
You can access historical records of the official membership census of WOSM through the link below. To request access to further historical records, please email [email protected].