The Society of Jesus: a numerical overview
July 31, 2026
Today is the memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), the founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). According to the online edition of the Annuario Pontificio, the institute had 13,768 members, 9,987 of them priests, in 2024.
The Annuario dates the institute’s founding and approval to September 27, 1540, the day Pope Paul III issued the bull Regimini militantis Ecclesiae. The order grew rapidly to 938 at St. Ignatius’ death, 3,500 in 1565; 15,544 in 1626, and 22,589 in 1749.
The Society was suppressed from 1773 to 1814, but the order of suppression was never promulgated in Russia, in whose realm were 201 Polish Jesuits. Their number grew to 337 by 1814.
Following its restoration, the Society grew rapidly again. Membership stood at 29,032 in 1950 and 36,038 in 1965. It fell to 27,082 in 1980, 25,594 in 1990, 21,490 in 2000, 18,139 in 2010, and 15,306 in 2020.
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