In the early 1940’s, only 150 publishers reported field service.

In 1941, fierce persecution set in, which lasted until 1952. What a joy it was when finally on September 9, 1953, under General Tito’s Communist regime, Jehovah’s Witnesses were legally registered! That year, there were 914 publishers of the good news, and the number grew steadily. By 1991, the number of publishers had increased to 7,420, and 16,072 attended the Memorial that year.

The years of war proved to be a time of severe testing for Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Balkans. Nevertheless, they have reason to rejoice because Jehovah has blessed his people there with excellent increase. Since 1991, the number of Kingdom publishers in the area of the former Yugoslavia has increased by more than 80 percent. The 2001 service year saw a peak of 13,472.