Country-by-Country Membership Statistics Released for 2019

The Church has released year-end 2019 membership and congregation totals for most nations with a reported Church presence. These statistics can be accessed on Church's official website at https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics.

Countries with the highest annual membership growth rates in 2019 (10% or greater) are listed below. Lists for nations with the most rapid membership growth rates are also available for 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. The percentage next to the country name is the annual growth rate percentage, which is followed by the country's membership at year-end 2019. Countries in bold experienced an annual membership increase greater than 200 during 2019. 

1. Montenegro - 56.5% - 36
2. Mozambique - 22.5% - 15,032
3. Angola - 19.0% -3,490
4. Kazakhstan - 16.8% - 230 
5. Benin - 16.0% - 4,018
6. Togo - 12.3% - 5,320 
7. Cyprus - 12.2% - 507
8. Lesotho - 10.5% - 1,303
9. Tuvalu - 10.5% - 296
10. Luxembourg - 10.3% - 505
11. Democratic Republic of the Congo - 10.1% - 68,871

Below is a list of the top ten countries by numerical membership increase for the year 2019. Each country is provided with the numerical national increase in membership. Additionally, the percentage of total church membership increase is provided for each country. Lists are also available for 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. 70.8% of the 2019 net increase in Church membership can be attributed to the following 10 nations.

1. United States - 39,203 - 15.6%
2. Brazil - 35,319 - 14.1%
3. Mexico - 25,756 - 10.2%
4. Philippines - 20,045 - 8.0% 
5. Nigeria - 14,864 - 5.9%
6. Peru - 14,000 - 5.6%
7. Argentina - 10,079 - 4.0%
8. Chile - 6,847 - 2.7%
9. Democratic Republic of the Congo - 6,308 - 2.5%
10. Ghana - 5,484 - 2.2%

With the country-by-country breakdown for membership in 2019, it can be determined what countries were primarily responsible for the increase in membership growth in 2019 compared to 2018 (approximately 50,000). However, there was only one country where the Church reported a significantly larger increase in membership in 2019 than 2018, which was Brazil with a whopping 24,502 more members than the 2018 increase. The Church in the United States, which has been the country where the Church adds the most new members every year, was almost eclipsed by membership growth in Brazil. If this had happened, it would have marked the first year in Church history when there were more members added to Church records for a country outside the United States than in the United States. Unfortunately, this does not indicate an acceleration in membership growth trends internationally, but rather slowing membership growth rates in the United States. The annual increase in Church membership for the United States in 2019 was very close to what it was in 2018, and the annual percentage membership growth for the United States in 2019 was the lowest reported by the Church since approximately the mid-1800s. Although the number of members being added to Church records in the United States is nearing historic lows primarily due to decreasing birth rates in the Church, congregational growth rates remain good and indicate likely improving convert retention and member activity rates for the country as a whole.

Examination of the country-by-country membership data revealed no significant changes in membership growth trends in 2019 versus 2018 with a few notable exceptions. First, as already noted above, membership growth in Brazil was significantly higher in 2019 than 2018. The annual membership growth rate for the Church in Brazil for 2019 (2.53%) was the highest reported by the Church in Brazil since 2015. Second, the membership growth rate for the Church in Papua New Guinea in 2019 (9.12%) was the highest reported by the Church since 2011 (10.1%) and the second highest reported by the Church since 2002 (10.5%). The Church in Papua New Guinea now reports 30,825 members. Third, the Church in Mozambique reported an unprecedented year for membership growth, as Church membership increased by 22.5% to reach 15,032 members. This is the highest annual membership growth rate for the Church in Mozambique since 2004 when there were only 3,000 members. Fourth, annual membership growth rates in Cote d'Ivoire significantly slowed in 2019 to only 7.1% - the lowest annual membership growth rate in the country since 2011. In contrast, the Church in Cote d'Ivoire reported approximately 20% annual membership growth rates for several years in the 2010s.