Whitewater Merit Badge History
Earned through 2020105,245
Best year20114,322 earned
All-time popularity#138official, as of 2020#142by 2025 (estimate)
Earned by Year
First earned in 1993. Peak year 2011 with 4,322. 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. "#108 of 141" means the badge was number 108 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.
1987—
1988—
1989—
1990—
1991—
1992—
19932,274#94 of 123
1994—
1995—
19963,021#83 of 134
1997—
1998—
1999—
20003,882#83 of 128
20013,212#88 of 129
20024,031#89 of 129
20034,111#85 of 130
20044,159#89 of 121
20054,157#87 of 121
20064,212#86 of 121
20073,557#92 of 121
20083,780#90 of 121
20093,993#92 of 122
20103,372#99 of 125
20114,322#88 of 129
20124,149#82 of 132
20133,252#77 of 129
20143,565#106 of 136
20152,888#115 of 138
20163,476#104 of 138
20172,832#111 of 139
20183,199#108 of 139
20192,890#113 of 139
20201,508#126 of 137
2021—#116 of 137
2022—#101 of 138
2023—#106 of 138
2024—#108 of 138
2025—#108 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.