Inventing Merit Badge History
Earned through 202029,178
Best year20183,494 earned
All-time popularity#190official, as of 2020#185by 2025 (estimate)
Earned by Year
First earned in 2010. Peak year 2018 with 3,494. 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. "#119 of 141" means the badge was number 119 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.
2010616#124 of 125
20112,279#106 of 129
20122,592#97 of 132
20132,704#81 of 129
20142,902#115 of 136
20153,369#107 of 138
20162,834#113 of 138
20173,296#104 of 139
20183,494#103 of 139
20193,259#104 of 139
20201,833#118 of 137
2021—#111 of 137
2022—#112 of 138
2023—#117 of 138
2024—#117 of 138
2025—#119 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.