Collections Merit Badge History
Earned through 2020168,524
Best year20008,048 earned
All-time popularity#119official, as of 2020#118by 2025 (estimate)
Earned by Year
First earned in 1993. Peak year 2000 with 8,048. Hover over or tap a year for its numbers.
Known count No data available
"—" means merit badges were earned that year but the exact number is not currently known. "#81 of 141" means the badge was number 81 of the 141 merit badges earned that year. National counts have not been published since 2020, but the rankings have. The grand total comes from official reports and includes the years without a known count. The 2025 all-time place is an estimate, because the counts for 2021 to 2025 are worked out from each year's official ranking and the total number of merit badges earned that year.
1991—
1992—
19937,524#56 of 123
1994—
1995—
19967,065#60 of 134
1997—
1998—
1999—
20008,048#57 of 128
20016,511#59 of 129
20026,272#68 of 129
20036,303#67 of 130
20045,601#70 of 121
20055,406#71 of 121
20064,784#80 of 121
20075,011#76 of 121
20084,939#79 of 121
20095,614#82 of 122
20106,090#80 of 125
20115,027#80 of 129
20125,077#71 of 132
20134,966#60 of 129
20144,295#94 of 136
20154,004#95 of 138
20163,753#101 of 138
20174,140#94 of 139
20184,280#96 of 139
20194,060#99 of 139
20206,429#48 of 137
2021—#81 of 137
2022—#88 of 138
2023—#79 of 138
2024—#77 of 138
2025—#81 of 141
Grand total through 2020:
This page keeps growing. More of this badge's history, including its patches and pamphlets, is being checked and will be added once it is confirmed.