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Increasing age of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Australia

The growth rate of Jehovah's Witnesses is in decline, leading to a rapidly increasing average age of followers. This can be quantified by information collected through sources such as the Census information provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The following statistics relate to Jehovah's Witnesses in Australia. With similar growth rates of Jehovah's Witnesses throughout the Western world, it is likely indicative elsewhere, except African countries, where the majority of growth has occurred since 2020, as discussed at Watchtower Publisher Statistics.

Jehovah's Witnesses are aging at a rate so rapid it must be of concern to the Governing body.

Over the last 25-years the average age of Jehovah's Witnesses in Australia increased by 12.5 years, from 33 to 45. Every year, the average JW age increases by half a year.

To put this in perspective, in the last 30-years, the average age of Australians has increased less than 5 years, from 33 to 38. (Australia’s population has become older, with the median age increasing from 33.7 years in 1994–95 to 38.4 years in 2024- 25. AIHW Profile os Australia's Population.

The following graphs show significant declines in the number of JWS from 0-34, and significant growth in the number over the age of 55. It will become a dying religion in Australia.

There is a full breakdown of statistics on JWs in Australia at Watchtower Statistics Australia

Over time I will update this with information from other countries that provide access to census data.

Written August 2026.

   Paul Grundy  2005 - 2026