Statistics

According to the Children of God, there were 130 communes or "colonies" in 15 countries in 1972. In 1993, 7,000 of the 10,000 members were under 18 years of age. Recent statistics by The Family International puts full-time and fellow members at just over 11,200 in over 100 countries (around 4,000 adult full-time members and 4,000 children). Some estimates have placed the total number of people that have passed through the group at 35,000 (the group claims this number to be only 26,000).

Sociologists have observed that many organisations exaggerate their numbers. This is especially true of new religious movements (or any new movement) with respect to the number of followers. The Family International has consistently claimed many thousands of followers and their "official" count has remained around 10,000 for years (± 2,000). This number probably includes anyone associated with the group in anyway. They also count children and babies as "followers" and the number of members under the age of 15 is many times more than those over this age. The actual number of full-time followers might only be a few thousand.

The Family International has also significantly downplayed the numbers of their defectors. This is especially true of the second generation. It is more likely that a member will leave when they turn 18 than remain as a full-time member.