Membership and congregation totals for nations with a reported LDS presence are now available on the Church's official website and can be found at http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/facts-and-statistics. Data is available under the country profiles on the right side of the site.
The 20 countries with the highest annual membership growth rates in 2013 are listed below. Lists for nations with the most rapid membership growth rates are also available for 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. The percentage next to the country name is the annual growth rate percentage which is followed by the country's LDS membership at year-end 2012. Countries in bold experienced a membership increase greater than 200.
- Rwanda - 82.6% - 221
- Botswana - 40.4% - 3,021
- Benin - 33.1% - 1,439
- Togo - 24.0% - 2,307
- Dominica - 23.6% - 173
- Cote d'Ivoire - 21.4% - 22,576
- Liberia - 20.5% - 8,081
- Malawi - 16.3% - 1,653
- Cape Verde - 15.8% - 10,796
- Georgia - 15.7% - 250
- Mozambique - 14.4% - 6,900
- Angola - 14.2% - 1,436
- Sierra Leone - 12.1% - 13,078
- Swaziland - 11.2% - 1,693
- Vanuatu - 11.1% - 6,103
- Kazakhstan - 11.1% - 240
- Solomon Islands - 10.8% - 564
- Ghana - 10.2% - 57,748
- Grenada - 10.2% - 336
- Democratic Republic of the Congo - 9.7% - 37,909
- United States - 77,473 - 27.0%
- Brazil - 40,099 - 13.4%
- Mexico - 26,539 - 8.9%
- Peru - 16,110 - 5.4%
- Philippines - 12,951 - 4.3%
- Argentina - 9,876 - 3.3%
- Ecuador - 9,082 - 3.0%
- Nigeria - 8,141 - 2.7%
- Guatemala - 7,974 - 3.7%
- Honduras - 6,230 - 2.1%
14 comments:
It is interesting to note that in Spain and Portugal, the Church grew by around a thousand members in each of those 2 nations in 2013.
And Italy grew by almost 500 members, while Ukraine and Russia grew by around 300 members in 2013.
I went to the LDS Newsroom, but it looks like that the statistics for 2012 are still up. The 77,473 member increase in the United States; does that include children of the record?
Looking at the growth/decline rates of various U.S. churches, it looks like the LDS Church will be the third largest church in four or five years.
I think that by or in 2020, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints will become the 3rd largest Church in the United States.
@Amy,
The Church does not include children of record in membership totals.
Just some info of Cumorah on child of record:
"The second group of members consists of children below the age of eight who have been blessed in the church and the children of adult members. Bennion and Young noted, "Although Mormons reject infant baptism, they count as members any 'children of record' blessed and named soon after birth. Thus unbaptized children of members (until age eight) make up an important share of the LDS population (about 15 percent among Americans)."[1] These members, called "children of record," remain on membership rolls. At age eight, children are baptized and confirmed and become lifetime members. If not baptized by age nine, the child is removed from membership rolls."
So I want to say they are included, they are just taken off if not baptized by the age of 9, which is why they are then considered convert baptisms.
Thanks for the link.
@Adam
I decided to edit my previous comment that I deleted. I need to check references a little more before writing. Thanks for the correction. I should have know the correct counting procedure. I once contacted the Church History Library about membership accounting. I quote their response
". Here is the policy for who is considered a member of record:
1. Those who have been baptized and confirmed.
2. Those under age 9 who have been blessed but not baptized.
3. Those who are not accountable because intellectual disabilities, regardless of age.
4. Unblessed children under 8 when (a) at least one parent is a member of the Church and (b) both parents give permission for a record to be created.
A person age 9 or older who has a membership record but has not been baptized and confirmed is not considered a member of record."
If missionaries are successful at reactivating members, membership numbers could increase by identifying previously unidentified children born to now active members. As you pointed out earlier, it is a 5 for 1 deal.
Children when given a name and a blessing are certainly counted on our ward and stake records. Each time when we have done such an ordinance in our ward it adds a member to our ward and a number to the total membership. When the quartetly reports are done these are counted as a part of the percentage of active/less active members. And as far as I can tell they are still counted until they are taken off the ward list which is done by our areas office at the request of the bishop after they are 18 years old. (I am sure the church handbook says something to the effect of when they turn 18 yo you ask them one more if they want to be baptised and if they respond no you are allowed to request them removed from church records) If you do not request them removed they stay on. I have done this numerous times so am confident about the process. Just thought I would add this in an attempt to clarify.
But children 9+ who aren't baptized aren't counted in the statistics. They stay on the records so that Primary, Young Men, and Young Women know they're there.
And so missionaries know that they are there. Get them baptized!
All the righteousness and repentance!
I just thought of something. In another recent discussion someone said that you could trace people going inactive by the "increase of children of record" compared to baptisms 8 years later.
This is an imprecise method though. I know, because I had a niece who was an "increase of children of record" but she won't be baptized because she died at age 6 months. In some developing countries this may be even more common.
The DC South Mission increased baptisms in 2013; 2014 looks even better. Not sure about retention, but VA stakes and wards are strong. I wonder how many missions increased converts last year as well?
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