Metropolian Areas With the Most Stakes Without a Temple

As we are in a period of significant expansion in regard to the construction of new temples, I wanted to provide a list of the metropolitan areas in the world with the most stakes without a temple announced or dedicated. See below for a list of the 23 metropolitan areas of the world with at least four stakes without a temple. Metropolitan areas are defined as conglomerations of population centers and neighborhoods. These locations are ranked in order from the most stakes to the least stakes. There are dozens of metropolitan areas with three stakes, but they are not included on this list.

• Spanish Fork/Springville/Mapleton, Utah - 21 stakes
  
• Viña del Mar, Chile - 9 stakes (includes Valparaíso and Villa Alemana)
• Port Harcourt, Nigeria - 7 stakes
  
• San Jose, California - 7 stakes (includes outlying suburbs) 
• Cincinnati/Dayton, Ohio - 6 stakes
  
• Blackfoot, Idaho - 5 stakes
• Charlotte, North Carolina - 5 stakes
  
• Colorado Springs, Colorado - 5 stakes
• Honolulu, Hawaii - 5 stakes
  
• João Pessoa, Brazil - 5 stakes 
• Maracaibo, Venezuela - 5 stakes
• Murrieta, California - 5 stakes (includes outlying suburbs)
  
• Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, California - 5 stakes
  
• Price, Utah - 5 stakes (includes Helper and Wellington) 
• Hurricane, Utah - 4 stakes (includes La Verkin)
• Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada (4 stakes)
  
• Natal, Brazil - 4 stakes
• Rigby, Idaho - 4 stakes
  
• Santa Ana, El Salvador - 4 stakes 
• Santaquin, Utah - 4 stakes (includes Goshen)
  
• Sorocaba, Brazil - 4 stakes
• Taichung, Taiwan - 4 stakes (includes Chung Hsing)
  
• Uyo, Nigeria - 4 stakes (includes Abak)
  

New Stakes Created in Colombia, Ghana, Mexico, and Peru

Colombia
The Church created a new stake in Colombia on August 4th. The Ibague Colombia Stake was organized from the Ibague Colombia District (originally created in 1978). The new stake includes the following five wards and one branch: the Campiña, Chicoral, Girardot, Montealegre, and Piedra Pintada Wards, and the Melgar Branch. Several branches in the former district were closed in 2012 when the Girardot Colombia District (organized in 1993) was consolidated with the Ibague Colombia District (click here for more information). However, the area appears to have finally met the minimal qualifications to become a stake, albeit this required two districts to be merged seven years ago.

There are now 30 stakes and 10 districts in Colombia.

Ghana
The Church organized a new stake in Ghana on August 11th. The Winneba Ghana Stake was reinstated from the Winneba Ghana District. Additionally, part of the Accra Ghana Kasoa Stake was included in the new stake. The Winneba Ghana District was originally organized in 1989 and became a stake in 2014. However, the stake was discontinued when the stake was divided to organize the new stake in Swedru in 2018. The reinstated Winneba Ghana Stake includes the following five wards and three branches: the Ansaful, Buduburam 1st, Buduburam 2nd, Kojo Bedu, and Winneba 2nd Wards, and the Apam, Awutu Breku, and Winneba 1st Branches.

There are now 25 stakes and 11 districts in Ghana.

Mexico
The Church created a new stake in Veracruz, Mexico on August 4th. The Veracruz Mexico Puerto Stake was organized from a division of the Veracruz Mexico Villa Rica Stake and the Veracruz Mexico Reforma Stake. The new stake includes the following six wards: the Altamirano, Buenavista, Constituyentes, Libertad, Reserva, and Tecnológico Wards. The new stake is the Church's fifth stake in Veracruz. Prior to the creation of the new stake this month, the most recently organized stake in Veracruz was created in 1995.

There are now 222 stakes and 47 districts in Mexico.

Peru
The Church organized another new stake in Lima, Peru - the fifth new stake to be created in Lima thus far in 2019. The Lima Peru Santa Clara Stake was created on August 11th from a division of the Lima Peru Campoy Stake, Lima Peru Vitarte Stake, and the Lima Peru Chaclacayo Stake. The new stake includes the following four wards and two branches: the Cajamarquilla, Jicamarca, Santa Clara, and Praderas Wards, and the Carapongo and Nicolas de Pierola Branches. Following the pattern of other recently organized stakes in Lima, the Church has created new stakes from two or more stakes, and has often created additional wards or branches following the creation of new stakes. It is likely that the two branches in the new stake have become wards or will soon become wards. The Church in Lima has not created stakes with fewer numbers of wards than historical averages. Furthermore, the number of active members per ward or branch in Lima has significantly increased within the past decade to generally 100-200 active members (compared to 50-150 active members per unit previously).

There are now 49 stakes in the Lima metropolitan area - more than any other metropolitan area outside of the United States. There are only five metropolitan areas within the United States that have more stakes than Lima, including the greater Salt Lake City, Utah metropolitan area (approximately 180 stakes within Salt Lake County); the greater Orem, Utah metropolitan area (approximately 165 stakes within Utah County); the greater Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area (approximately 80 stakes); the greater Ogden/Roy/Layton/Farmington metropolitan area in Utah (approximately 80 stakes); and the greater Los Angeles, California metropolitan area (approximately 65 stakes).

There are now 110 stakes and 18 districts in Peru.

Maps Displaying Status of LDS Outreach by Major Metropolitan Areas Complete

I have just completed a project for The Cumorah Foundation mapping over 500 metropolitan areas worldwide with one million or more inhabitants and the status of LDS outreach in each location. Please see below for all of these maps. The purpose of this project was to emphasize the importance of reaching these major population centers and how LDS growth has significantly varied from major metropolitan area to major metropolitan area. In addition to detailed LDS statistics, each city has a brief analysis of successes, opportunities, and challenges for growth.

North America


View Major Metropolitan Areas in North America in a larger map
Latin America and the Caribbean


View Major Metropolitan Areas in Latin America and the Caribbean in a larger map
Oceania


View Major Metropolitan Areas in Oceania in a larger map
Europe, Central Asia, and Siberia


View Major Metropolitan Areas in Europe, Central Asia, and Siberia in a larger map
East Asia (Excluding China)


View Major Metropolitan Areas in East Asia (Excluding China) in a larger map
China


View Major Metropolitan Areas in China in a larger map
South Asia and Southeast Asia


View Major Metropolitan Areas in South Asia and Southeast Asia in a larger map
Middle East and North Africa


View Major Metropolitan Areas in the Middle East and North Africa in a larger map
Sub-Saharan Africa


View Major Metropolitan Areas in Sub-Saharan Africa in a larger map

Map of Major Metropolitan Areas in Latin America and the Caribbean and Status of LDS Outreach

As part of a project for the Cumorah Foundation, I have been creating maps of major world regions and the status of LDS outreach by metropolitan areas with one million or more inhabitants. See below for a map of the metropolitan areas in Latin America and the Caribbean. Tegucigalpa, Honduras is the best reached metropolitan area (one LDS congregation per 16,700 people) whereas Havana, Cuba is the least reached metropolitan area (one LDS congregation per 2.2 million people).


View Major Metropolitan Areas in Latin America and the Caribbean in a larger map

Metropolitan Areas in South Asia and Southeast Asia with One Million or More Inhabitants and Status of LDS Outreach

Earlier this month I completed a map displaying the status of LDS outreach among all metropolitan areas with one million or more inhabitants in South Asia and Southeast Asia.  See below to view map.
View Major Metropolitan Areas in South Asia and Southeast Asia in a larger map

Metropolitan Areas in China with One Million or More Inhabitants and Status of LDS Outreach

As part of a project creating maps displaying the status of LDS outreach among all metropolitan areas in the world with one million or more inhabitants, I have recently completed the map for China.  No sensitive data on LDS Church operations in mainland China is disclosed in this map.  I take full responsibility for the content and the opinions presented. See below to view map.



View Major Metropolitan Areas in China in a larger map

Most Populous Metropolitan Areas in Sub-Saharan Africa and Status of LDS Outreach Map

We have completed our map displaying all metropolitan areas in Sub-Saharan Africa with one million or more inhabitants and the status of LDS outreach in each location.  Each metropolitan area contains extensive LDS statistics regarding the growth and size of the Church.  Past successes and opportunities and challenges for future growth are examined for each location.  See below to view the map.



View Major Metropolitan Areas in Sub-Saharan Africa in a larger map

Major Metropolitan Areas of the World and Status of LDS Outreach

On cumorah.com, I am in the process of creating maps that identify all metropolitan areas of the world with one million or more inhabitants and the status of LDS outreach.  These major metropolitan areas - which currently number over 500 - are important urban centers for the Church to target due to high population densities, easier accessibility than smaller cities and rural areas, and their cultural, economic, and societal prominence in their respective region or the world as a whole.  The establishment of the Church in these cities and its subsequent growth are vital towards the Church establishing additional centers of strength from which to base future outreach expansion efforts into surrounding areas and to bolster international self-sufficiency of the Church. 

These maps will include the most recent population estimate for each metropolitan area as well as current statistics on the Church (i.e., year LDS presence established, number of stakes, estimated percentage LDS, ect.) and a brief analysis of successes, opportunities, and challenges for growth.  I am hoping to receive quality feedback on this project from interested readers.  Click here to view the preliminary regional map of Sub-Saharan Africa where city profiles are complete for Freetown, Sierra Leone and Monrovia, Liberia.

Metropolitan Areas With The Most Stakes

One of the greatest strengths to the Church is when many Church members live in the same city. When concentrated in a particular geographic place, members of the Church are usually more easily able to fellowship one another and help build up the Church through living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Close proximity and large populations allows for the Church to preach the Gospel message to a greater number of people in a shorter amount of time than in rural areas, where more time is spent traveling from place to place to teach fewer individuals and families. Members of the Church concentrated in cities also facilitates the building and operation of temples and the creation of stakes.

There are 36 cities in the world with at least 10 stakes in their metropolitan areas. Out of these 36 cities only two do not have a temple: Fortaleza, Brazil (which has 13 stakes) and Pocatello, Idaho (which has 11 stakes). There are some interesting comparisons we can make with the data below. For instance, if the ratio of stakes to population in Mexico City were the same as Salt Lake City, there would be a total of 2,804 stakes in Mexico City which is about how many stakes there are in the entire Church. Another interesting hypothetical situation is if the ratio of stakes to population in Salt Lake City were the same as the ratio of stakes to population in Mexico City there would be only three stakes in Salt Lake City!

Some of the metropolitan area populations are estimated (particularly for Utah) due to the large number of small towns in their peripheries. Most of the population data comes from http://www.citypopulation.de/ or Census Bureau estimates. Most suburbs or neighboring cities less than 30 or so miles away from the named metropolitan city are included in metropolitan population and stake numbers. What constitutes a metropolitan area is up to debate, but is best to be thought of as a conglomeration of urban neighborhoods and population centers.

Click on the table below to view.