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Spread Map

Jehovah's Witnesses Spread Map

Where and when Jehovah's Witnesses spread, arrived, was established, declined or was revived, in the places and years the historical record gives.

Map

Jehovah's Witnesses Spread Map Afghanistan Albania Algeria Angola Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Chile China Colombia Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Federated States of Micronesia Fiji Finland France French Polynesia Gabon Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Guam Guatemala Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kuwait Laos Latvia Lebanon Libya Lithuania Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Mali Malta Mauritius Mexico Moldova Mongolia Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nigeria North Macedonia Norway Oman Pakistan Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tanzania Thailand Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Charles Taze Russell Founds The Watch Tower Movement, United States, 1879 to 1931, ArrivedThe Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society Is Incorporated in Pennsylvania, United States, 1884, EstablishedThe Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society Moves Its Headquarters to Brooklyn, United States, 1909, EstablishedThe Watch Tower Society Adopts the Name Jehovah's Witnesses, United States, 1931, EstablishedNazi Germany Persecutes Jehovah's Witnesses, Germany, 1933 to 1945, SuppressedStalin Deports Jehovah's Witnesses To Siberia, Russia, 1951 to 1991, SuppressedJehovah's Witnesses Are Legalized After The Soviet Collapse, Russia, 1991, RevivedThe Watchtower Reinterprets This Generation, United States, 1995, EstablishedRussia Bans Jehovah's Witnesses As Extremist, Russia, 2017, SuppressedSouth Korea Ends Sixty Five Years Of Imprisoning Jehovah's Witness Objectors, South Korea, 2018 to 2019, RevivedThe European Court of Human Rights Rules Russia's Ban on Jehovah's Witnesses Unlawful, Russia, 2022, EstablishedJehovah's Witnesses Purchase a Former IBM Data Center Adjacent to Their Warwick World Headquarters, United States, 2026, EstablishedJehovah's Witnesses Release the New World Translation in Sundanese, Indonesia, 2026, EstablishedNorway's Supreme Court Rules the State's Deregistration of Jehovah's Witnesses Unlawful, Norway, 2026, Revived

Point at, tap, or move keyboard focus to a marker for its event, place, year and status.

Marker size and shape show how established the tradition was there: a small filled dot for an arrival, a larger one for an established or dominant presence, and a hollow, distinct marker where it was suppressed or nearly disappeared, never simply absent.

2 events have a recorded place with no map coordinate yet, so they are not marked on the map above: Joseph Rutherford Is Elected President of the Watch Tower Society (New York), The Governing Body Assumes Direct Rule Through Six New Committees (New York). They are complete in the list below.

Spoken Chronology

Charles Taze Russell Founds The Watch Tower Movement. United States, 1879 to 1931, Arrived. Source, History Of Jehovah's Witnesses (Wikipedia).

The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society Is Incorporated in Pennsylvania. United States, 1884, Established. Source, Watch Tower Society Incorporated for Dissemination of Bible Truths (jw.org).

The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society Moves Its Headquarters to Brooklyn. United States, 1909, Established. Source, Brooklyn Bethel: Jehovah's Witnesses' Headquarters in New York (jw.org).

Joseph Rutherford Is Elected President of the Watch Tower Society. New York, 1917, Established. Source, Jehovah's Witnesses, One Hundred Years: 1917 (2017 Yearbook, jw.org).

The Watch Tower Society Adopts the Name Jehovah's Witnesses. United States, 1931, Established. Source, Ninety Years Embracing the Name Jehovah's Witnesses (jw.org).

Nazi Germany Persecutes Jehovah's Witnesses. Germany, 1933 to 1945, Suppressed. Source, Persecution Of Jehovah's Witnesses In Nazi Germany (Wikipedia).

Stalin Deports Jehovah's Witnesses To Siberia. Russia, 1951 to 1991, Suppressed. Source, Persecution Of Jehovah's Witnesses In Russia (Wikipedia).

The Governing Body Assumes Direct Rule Through Six New Committees. New York, 1976, Established. Source, The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses (1977 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses).

Jehovah's Witnesses Are Legalized After The Soviet Collapse. Russia, 1991, Revived. Source, Persecution Of Jehovah's Witnesses In Russia (Wikipedia).

The Watchtower Reinterprets This Generation. United States, 1995, Established. Source, Christ's Presence, What Does It Mean to You? (jw.org).

Russia Bans Jehovah's Witnesses As Extremist. Russia, 2017, Suppressed. Source, Persecution Of Jehovah's Witnesses In Russia (Wikipedia).

South Korea Ends Sixty Five Years Of Imprisoning Jehovah's Witness Objectors. South Korea, 2018 to 2019, Revived. Source, All Witnesses Imprisoned for Conscientious Objection in South Korea Now Free (jw.org).

The European Court of Human Rights Rules Russia's Ban on Jehovah's Witnesses Unlawful. Russia, 2022, Established. Source, Strasbourg Court Rules Russia's Ban on Jehovah's Witnesses Unlawful (The European Times).

Jehovah's Witnesses Purchase a Former IBM Data Center Adjacent to Their Warwick World Headquarters. United States, 2026, Established. Source, Jehovah's Witnesses Purchase Property Adjacent to Their World Headquarters (jw.org).

Jehovah's Witnesses Release the New World Translation in Sundanese. Indonesia, 2026, Established. Source, Bible Books Released in Three Languages During May 2026 (JW.ORG).

Norway's Supreme Court Rules the State's Deregistration of Jehovah's Witnesses Unlawful. Norway, 2026, Revived. Source, Norwegian Supreme Court Issues Significant Ruling in Favor of Jehovah's Witnesses (jw.org).

Full Chronology

Every recorded spread event for this tradition, in date order, complete: 16 events.

  1. Charles Taze Russell Founds The Watch Tower MovementUnited States, 1879 to 1931, Arrived
    Source History Of Jehovah's Witnesses (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
  2. The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society Is Incorporated in PennsylvaniaUnited States, 1884, Established
    Source Watch Tower Society Incorporated for Dissemination of Bible Truths (jw.org)
  3. The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society Moves Its Headquarters to BrooklynUnited States, 1909, Established
    Source Brooklyn Bethel: Jehovah's Witnesses' Headquarters in New York (jw.org)
  4. Joseph Rutherford Is Elected President of the Watch Tower SocietyNew York, 1917, Established
    Source Jehovah's Witnesses, One Hundred Years: 1917 (2017 Yearbook, jw.org)
  5. The Watch Tower Society Adopts the Name Jehovah's WitnessesUnited States, 1931, Established
    Source Ninety Years Embracing the Name Jehovah's Witnesses (jw.org)
  6. Nazi Germany Persecutes Jehovah's WitnessesGermany, 1933 to 1945, Suppressed
    Source Persecution Of Jehovah's Witnesses In Nazi Germany (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
  7. Stalin Deports Jehovah's Witnesses To SiberiaRussia, 1951 to 1991, Suppressed
    Source Persecution Of Jehovah's Witnesses In Russia (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
  8. The Governing Body Assumes Direct Rule Through Six New CommitteesNew York, 1976, Established
    Source The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses (1977 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses)
  9. Jehovah's Witnesses Are Legalized After The Soviet CollapseRussia, 1991, Revived
    Source Persecution Of Jehovah's Witnesses In Russia (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
  10. The Watchtower Reinterprets This GenerationUnited States, 1995, Established
    Source Christ's Presence, What Does It Mean to You? (jw.org)
  11. Russia Bans Jehovah's Witnesses As ExtremistRussia, 2017, Suppressed
    Source Persecution Of Jehovah's Witnesses In Russia (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
  12. South Korea Ends Sixty Five Years Of Imprisoning Jehovah's Witness ObjectorsSouth Korea, 2018 to 2019, Revived
    Source All Witnesses Imprisoned for Conscientious Objection in South Korea Now Free (jw.org)Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
  13. The European Court of Human Rights Rules Russia's Ban on Jehovah's Witnesses UnlawfulRussia, 2022, Established
    Source Strasbourg Court Rules Russia's Ban on Jehovah's Witnesses Unlawful (The European Times)
  14. Jehovah's Witnesses Purchase a Former IBM Data Center Adjacent to Their Warwick World HeadquartersUnited States, 2026, Established
    Source Jehovah's Witnesses Purchase Property Adjacent to Their World Headquarters (jw.org)
  15. Jehovah's Witnesses Release the New World Translation in SundaneseIndonesia, 2026, Established
    Source Bible Books Released in Three Languages During May 2026 (JW.ORG)
  16. Norway's Supreme Court Rules the State's Deregistration of Jehovah's Witnesses UnlawfulNorway, 2026, Revived
    Source Norwegian Supreme Court Issues Significant Ruling in Favor of Jehovah's Witnesses (jw.org)