Theos-Talk Archives (January 2002 Message tt00522)

In researching the influence of Leadbeater on the Adyar TS, I accumulated 
large amounts of membrship statistics and included an appendix on 
membership figures in my PhD thesis. The following is a brief summary of 
the figures. For all sorts of methodological reasons (e.g. different 
"official" sources sometimes give different figures) they cannot be 
regarded as definitive, and are drawn from a range of sources (e.g. 
Annual Reports). I have figures for every year from 1907-1983, but only 
give sample years below. No accurate records exist for 1875-1906. 
Josphine Ransom estimate 10000 as the memebrship in 1900.

Year
1907 14863
1910 20356
1915 25696
1920 36350
1925 41645
1928 45098
1930 39311
1935 30317
1940 23644
1945 29327
1950 32564
1955 32902
1960 33875
1965 31424
1970 31721
1975 34357
1980 34391

During what might be called the Great Krishnamurti Decade (1923-1932) the 
membership rose and fell, but the above figures don't really tell the 
full story: between 1923 and 1932, 47,800 members joined the Adyar TS, 
but 54,000 left it - a much more interesting statistic than the simple 
change in the overall number of members, especially since those who left 
included many members of long-standing.
Where state census statistics exist, these provide interesting additional 
information. In 1916 the American Section of Adyar claimed 6648 members; 
the US Bureau of Census figure for the same year was 5097. In 1911 the 
Australia Section of Adyar claimed 1004 members, but the national census 
reported 781; in 1921 Adyar claimed 2168, but the census reported 1102.

Dr Gregory Tillett