April 2019 Monthly Newsletter - Cumorah.com

Click here to access the April 2019 monthly newsletter for www.cumorah.com.

UPDATED - Country-by-Country Membership Statistics Released for 2018

I previously posted on the countries with the highest membership growth rates during 2018. These data came from the Church's Newsroom site at http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/facts-and-statistics. However, I have obtained additional year-end 2018 membership totals that I want to include in an updated post as there are eight additional nations that experienced an annual membership growth rate of 10% or higher during 2018.

Countries with the highest annual membership growth rates in 2018 (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, and 2017. The percentage next to the country name is the annual growth rate percentage, which is followed by the country's membership at year-end 2018. Countries in bold experienced an annual membership increase greater than 200 during 2018. Countries in red are ones added to this list with additional official membership data I have recently obtained.

1. Guinea - 103.3% - 61 
2. Senegal - 63.6% - 108
3. Cuba - 47.5% - 357
4. Oman - 30.5% - 107
5. Rwanda - 25.7% - 749
6. Montenegro - 21.1% - 23 
7. North Macedonia - 20.6% - 41
8. Angola - 19.3% - 2,933
9. Bosnia and Herzegovina - 15.9% - 80
10. Israel - 15.3% - 332
11. Gabon* - 15.3% - 151
12. Togo - 14.6% - 4,736
13. Mozambique - 13.3% - 12,274
14. Solomon Islands - 12.8% - 1,240
15. Benin - 11.5% - 3,463
16. Turks and Caicos Islands - 11.4% - 147
17. Cote d'Ivoire - 11.1% - 48,776
18. Morocco - 10.5% - 95
19. Sint Maarten - 10.4% - 277

*Membership total only reflects one of the two branches as one of the Gabonese branches is incorrectly reported under the Republic of the Congo.

Also, see below for membership totals for additional countries not reported on the Church Newsroom site.

• Bahrain - 223
• Belarus - 511
• Bermuda - 197
• British Virgin Islands - 138
• Mali* - 9
• Qatar - 537
• Vietnam - 2,466

*Membership appears to comprise those who live outside of the Bamako Branch under the Africa West Area Branch. The Bamako Branch is incorrectly reported under Cote d'Ivoire. However, membership in Mali appeared to increase by more than 100% during 2018. Local members report that membership nationwide appeared to be around 80-100 at year-end 2018. There were 42 members in Mali as of April 2018. 

New Districts Created in Ghana and Kenya

Ghana
The Church organized a new district in Ghana on April 28th.

The Axim Ghana District was organized from a division of the Tarkwa Ghana District (organized in 2016). The new district includes the following three branches: Axim, Esiama, and Nkroful. The Tarkwa Ghana District now has only two branches (Brenu-Akyirim and Tarkwa) and one member group (Bogoso) although the member group appears to have become a branch or may become a branch in the near future.

There are now 24 stakes and 12 districts in Ghana.

Kenya
The Church organized a new district in western Kenya.

The Kitale Kenya District was organized from a division of the Eldoret Kenya District (organized in 2011). The new district includes the following five branches: Kitale, Mautuma, Misikhu, Naitiri, and Sikhendu. The realigned Eldoret Kenya district now has four branches (all located in the city of Eldoret): Eldoret, Huruma, Langas, and Sosiani.

There are now two stakes and five districts in Kenya.

Significant Realignment of Missions in Nigeria Announced

On April 23rd, the Africa West Area Presidency announced a significant realignment of the seven missions in Nigeria. No missions will be closed or opened as part of the changes. However, the Nigeria Calabar Mission will be renamed the Nigeria Uyo Mission, which was the original name of the mission from 2002-2008, and mission headquarters will be relocated to Uyo. Here are additional changes that have been announced:

• Reassignment of four mission branches from the Nigeria Calabar Mission to the Nigeria Enugu Mission (Ikom, Ogoja, Ugep 1st, and Ugep 2nd Branches)
• Transfer of two stakes from the Nigeria Calabar Mission to the Nigeria Owerri Mission (Abak Nigeria Stake and Ikot Ekpene Nigeria Stake)
• Transfer of two stakes from the Nigeria Calabar Mission to the Nigeria Port Harcourt Mission (Ikot Akpaden Nigeria Stake and Ikot Akpatek Nigeria Stake)
• Transfer of two stakes and one district from the Nigeria Enugu Mission to the Nigeria Lagos Mission (Abuja Nigeria North Stake, Abuja Nigeria South Stake, and Jos Nigeria District)
• Transfer of one stake and one district from the Nigeria Owerri Mission to the Nigeria Enugu Mission (Umuahia Nigeria Stake and Asaga Ohafia Nigeria District)

The area presidency announced that these changes "are being made to better position the missions in Nigeria for the future growth and establishment of the Church," and added, "We anticipate significant future growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Nigeria and recognize the Lord’s hand in bringing this about."

The Church in Nigeria has indeed experienced some of the most impressive worldwide growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in recent decades. Church membership increased from 12,000 in 1989 to 42,746 in 1999, 88,374 in 2008, and 177,280 in 2018. Annual membership growth rates have exceeded 7% since 2013. The number of congregations (i.e. wards and branches) has grown from 72 in 1989 to 185 in 1999, 260 in 2008, and 649 in 2018. There has been a net increase of approximately 30 wards and branches in 2019 thus far. Stake growth in the past decade has been particularly significant with the number of stakes increasing from 16 to 56.

Despite recent progress, the Church in Nigeria remains comparatively small. Church membership accounts for only 0.087% of the population, or one Latter-day Saint per 1,148. There remain 12 states in Nigeria without a single ward or branch although most are in the predominantly Muslim north. Several cities with more than 500,000 people have no Church presence. Nigeria will also soon surpass Pakistan and Brazil in population as the world's fifth most populous country as there are now more than 200 million people. If the Church in Nigeria were to maintain the same ratio of population to missions (one mission per seven million people), there would need to be 29 missions in Nigeria.

The mission realignments announced by the area presidency have good potential to better distribute mission resources and Church units across the seven missions. Many of the changes have good potential to help the Church expand into previously unreached areas, particularly those with high population densities nearby cities with a well-established Church presence such as between Port Harcourt and Efik, and between Enugu and Umuahia. Greater expansion in Central and Northern Nigeria may occur. The Nigeria Calabar Mission previously had 14 stakes and two districts - the largest number of stakes assigned to a single mission in all of Africa. Now, the realigned Nigeria Uyo Mission will have a more manageable number of stakes with 10 stakes and two districts.

The changes also appear inspired with long-term plans to organize additional missions. For example, the Nigeria Lagos Mission will now have two separate geographical areas, one in the Lagos metropolitan area and the other including most of central and northern Nigeria. It appears that the Church may organize a mission headquartered in Abuja in the foreseeable future given this change. Also, the Church may organize a mission headquartered in Delta State to service the rapidly growing Nigeria Benin City Mission which now has 11 stakes and three districts within its boundaries.

Many new stakes will likely be organized in the near future due to steady growth in active membership and the organization of new wards and branches. See below for a list of stakes likely to divide in the near future to create additional stakes:

• Aba Nigeria North (10 wards, 4 branches)
• Abak Nigeria (9 wards, 1 branch) 
• Abuja Nigeria North (10 wards, 2 branches)
• Abuja Nigeria South (11 wards, 3 branches)
• Benin City Nigeria Oregbeni  (9 wards, 1 branch)
• Benin City Nigeria Ugbowo (10 wards, 3 branches) 
• Ikot Ekpene Nigeria (11 wards, 1 branch)
• Lagos Nigeria Ojodu (9 wards, 1 branch)
• Lagos Nigeria Yaba (9 wards)
• Onitsha Nigeria (10 wards, 4 branches)
• Ukat Aran Nigeria  (11 wards, 2 branches)
• Warri Nigeria (14 wards, 2 branches)

Many districts also appear close to becoming stakes. There are currently a total of 17 districts. See below for a list of stakes likely to be created from districts in the near future.

• Akamkpa Nigeria (9 branches)
• Asaga Ohafia Nigeria (7 branches)
• Ijebu-Ode Nigeria (8 branches)
• Jos Nigeria (8 branches)
• Mbaise Nigeria (12 branches)
• Ogwashi Nigeria (8 branches)
• Okrika Nigeria (10 branches) - or division into several districts
• Ondo Nigeria (6 branches)
• Oron Nigeria (7 branches)

Altogether, the Church in Nigeria may add as many as 21 new stakes in the next two years.

Additionally, a couple new districts appear likely to be organized from mission branches in the near future. Probable locations with the likely number of branches include:

• Sapele (3 branches)
• Ugep (4 branches)

Membership by US State in 2018, Percent Membership Growth by US State in 2018

See below for a list of states in the United States ranked in order by the most members as of year-end 2018. Locations in bold do not have a temple dedicated or announced.

1. Utah - 2,109,578
2. California - 761,054
3. Idaho - 456,496
4. Arizona - 432,161
5. Texas - 357,625
6. Washington - 289,068
7. Nevada - 184,565
8. Florida - 158,617
9. Oregon - 153,338
10. Colorado - 150,958
11. Virginia - 95,873
12. North Carolina - 87,768
13. Georgia - 85,927
14. New York - 82,732
15. Hawaii - 74,699
16. Missouri - 71,774
17. New Mexico - 69,333
18. Wyoming - 67,421
19. Ohio - 62,326
20. Illinois - 57,001
21. Pennsylvania - 51,954
22. Tennessee - 51,863
23. Montana - 50,333
24. Oklahoma - 48,268
25. Indiana - 45,395
26. Michigan - 45,039
27. Maryland - 44,094
28. South Carolina - 40,887
29. Kansas - 38,077
30. Alabama - 37,913
31. Kentucky - 35,779
32. New Jersey - 33,926
33. Minnesota - 33,331
34. Alaska - 32,298
35. Arkansas - 31,765
36. Louisiana - 29,750
37. Iowa - 28,408
38. Massachusetts - 27,805
39. Wisconsin - 27,003
40. Nebraska - 25,046
41. Mississippi - 21,561
42. West Virginia - 17,045
43. Connecticut - 15,834
44. North Dakota - 11,406
45. Maine - 10,994
46. South Dakota - 10,654
47. New Hampshire - 8,875
48. Delaware - 5,620
49. Vermont - 4,622
50. Rhode Island - 4,165
51. District of Columbia - 2,805

See below for a list of states and the District of Columbia ranked in order by membership growth rate for the year 2017. The 10 states with the most members in this list are indicated in italics:

1. North Carolina +1.90%
2. Kentucky +1.86%
3. Delaware +1.68%
4. Arkansas +1.63%
5. Tennessee +1.59%
6. North Dakota +1.44%
7. Idaho +1.37%
8. Texas +1.22%
9. Florida +1.21%
10. New Hampshire +1.19% 
11. Indiana +1.16%
12. Alabama +1.14%
13. Minnesota +0.97%
14. Arizona +0.96%
15. Wisconsin +0.93%
16. Utah +0.92%
17. Iowa +0.88%
18. Oklahoma +0.87%
19. Maryland +0.85%
20. Massachusetts +0.83%
21. Missouri +0.79%
22. Kansas +0.79%
23. South Carolina +0.69%
24. West Virginia +0.66%
25. Georgia +0.66%
26. New Jersey +0.59%
27. Ohio +0.58%
28. Hawaii +0.57%
29. Virginia +0.52%
30. Nevada +0.50%
31. New York +0.45%
32. Maine +0.43%
33. Michigan +0.42%
34. Nebraska +0.40%
35. Pennsylvania +0.37%
36. South Dakota +0.26%
37. Wyoming +0.22%
38. Washington +0.19%
39. Vermont -0.06%
40. Louisiana -0.12% 
41. Montana -0.17%
42. Illinois -0.19%
43. Connecticut -0.23%
44. Rhode Island -0.29%
45. Colorado -0.31%
46. Oregon -0.40%
47. New Mexico -0.42%
48. Alaska -0.58%
49. Mississippi -0.75%
50. California -0.81%
51. District of Columbia -1.51%

Membership growth rates by state in 2018 were very similar compared to membership growth rates by state in 2017. The most significant development in 2018 was ongoing slowing of membership growth rates in the United States. I believe this is the first time in many decades that the annual membership growth rate did not exceed 2.0% for any state.

Updated Country Profile - Norway

Click here to access the updated Reaching the Nations country profile for Norway. The Church in Norway has arguably experienced one of the slowest growth rates during the past century in the worldwide Church as Church membership has increased from only 1,507 in 1930 to 4,598 in 2018. It has taken nearly 20 years for the Church to report a net increase of 600 members between the late 1990s and 2018. Most convert baptisms in recent years have appeared to be immigrants from Latin America, Asia, and Africa. The Church in Norway maintains an impressive level of national outreach as 53% of the population lives within 10 kilometers of a Church meetinghouse or a city or town with its own ward or branch. The establishment of a second stake in Drammen in 2012 indicated some progress with leadership development although the number of active members nationwide has not appeared to noticeably change in two decades. Oslo appears a likely candidate for a small temple one day as Norway is the only Nordic country with at least 1,000 members without a temple. See below for the future prospects section of the article.

The Church has established congregations in most areas and has the basic infrastructure to meet outreach needs in most areas, but secularism remains a cultural influence that has reduced receptivity. The missionary complement assigned to Norway has been cut to less than half of its prior levels without noticeably affecting growth. The Church depends heavily on the larger Latter-day Saint populations in the Oslo area and in a few additional cities such as Bergen to stabilize the national church population and looks to this region for future growth. Many members in small branches are considering moving to the Oslo area that, over time, may lead to additional consolidations of smaller branches in northern Norway. The heavy emigration of Latter-day Saints in the nineteenth century has continued, although at a slower rate in recent years and has made local growth harder to achieve. Outreach directed toward youth is needed due to low birth rates among Latter-day Saints and the small number of youth converts in order to ensure long term growth.

Additional Membership Growth Analysis for 2018

As I noted last week, I wanted to provide some additional analysis of membership growth by country for 2018. See below for a list of countries with reported Church membership in 2018. Countries are ranked in order by the percentage growth in membership for the year 2018. I also provide whether this growth rate is the slowest or fastest growth rate since the previous year that surpassed it. Of the 156 countries/territories in the analysis, eight appeared to have had the slowest year of membership growth ever reported during 2018 (Albania, Benin, Brazil, Lithuania, Madagascar, Serbia, the United States, Venezuela). No country reported its fast membership growth rate ever during 2018. Seventy-eight (78) of the 156 countries (50%) reported a slowdown in membership growth compared to 2017. Thus, in regards to the number of countries with a reported Church presence membership growth did not appear to significantly change in regards to acceleration or deceleration of growth. However, the magnitude of membership growth rates has declined - a trend that has been ongoing for decades.

Rwanda 25.67% - slowest since 2017
Montenegro 21.05% - fastest since 2016
Angola 19.32% - fastest since 2014
Bosnia and Herzegovina 15.94% - fastest since 2014
Israel 15.28% - fastest since 2016
Togo 14.56% - fastest since 2016
Mozambique 13.28% - slowest since 2017
Solomon Islands 12.83% - slowest since 2017
Benin 11.53% - slowest ever (since Church establishment in 2004)
Cote d'Ivoire 11.12% - fastest since 2017
Kazakhstan 10.66% - fastest since 2014
St. Maarten 10.36% - fastest since 2016
Congo, Republic of 9.96% - fastest since 2003
Sierra Leone 9.48% - slowest since 2017
Vanuatu 9.44% - slowest since 2017
Cameroon 9.37% - slowest since 2015
Liberia 9.20% - same as 2017
Lesotho 8.86% - fastest since 2016
Congo, Democratic Republic of 8.40% - slowest since 2008
Nigeria 8.27% - fastest since 2015
St. Kitts and Nevis 7.58% - fastest since 2016
Ghana 7.16% - slowest since 2009
Malawi 7.14% - slowest since 2008
Zambia 6.96% - slowest since 2015
French Guiana 5.84% - slowest since 2016
Sri Lanka 5.69% - fastest since 2008
Namibia 5.61% - fastest since 2015
Burundi 5.49% - slowest since 2016
Cape Verde 5.36% - fastest since 2016
Uganda 5.28% - slowest since 2005
Tanzania 5.12% - fastest since 2016
United Arab Emirates 4.89% - fastest since 2015
Panama 4.73% - slowest since 2017
Zimbabwe 4.68% - slowest since 2014
Slovakia 4.41% - fastest since 2016
Botswana 4.38% - same as 2017
Tuvalu 4.28% - slowest since 2016
Nauru 4.27% - slowest since 2015
Papua New Guinea 4.00% - slowest since 2013
Kenya 3.98% - fastest since 2012
Fiji 3.74% - slowest since 2015
Ireland 3.56% - fastest since 2016
Kiribati 3.56% - slowest since 2014
St. Vincent 3.51% - slowest since 2015
Isle of Man 3.48% - fastest since 2009
Suriname 3.30% - fastest since 2016
Cambodia 3.29% - slowest since 2016
Madagascar 3.16% - slowest ever (since Church establishment in early 1990s)
Swaziland 3.16% - fastest since 2016
India 3.13% - slowest since 1981
Antigua and Barbuda 2.95% - slowest since 2015
Costa Rica 2.95% - fastest since 2017
Haiti 2.94% - slowest since 2006
Northern Mariana Islands 2.82% - slowest since 2016
Dominican Republic 2.82% - fastest since 2011
Curacao 2.79% - fastest since 2010
Bahamas 2.78% - fastest since 2014
Spain 2.77% - fastest since 2014
Guyana 2.76% - slowest since 2016
Malaysia 2.74% - fastest since 2016
Thailand 2.67% - slowest since 2016
Albania 2.66% - slowest ever (since Church establishment in early 1990s)
Philippines 2.58% - same as 2017
Peru 2.53% - fastest since 2014
Poland 2.52% - fastest since 2016
Mauritius 2.52% - fastest since 2016
Latvia 2.51% - fastest since 2013
Colombia 2.45% - fastest since 2014
St. Lucia 2.45% - slowest since 2013
Singapore 2.44% - fastest since 2011
South Africa 2.42% - slowest since 2016
Malta 2.39% - slowest since 2008
French Polynesia 2.27% - slowest since 2010
Guam 2.23% - slowest since 2015
Bolivia 2.20% - fastest since 2014
Mongolia 2.18% - fastest since 2014
Central African Republic 2.14% - slowest since 2016
Jersey 2.07% - fastest since 2015
Samoa 2.06% - same as 2017
Ecuador 2.02% - fastest since 2016
Guatemala 1.95% - fastest since 2016
Argentina 1.87% - fastest since 2014
Jamaica 1.82% - fastest since 2016
Honduras 1.76% - fastest since 2016
Marshall Islands 1.71% - fastest since 2016
Guernsey 1.61% - slowest since 2015
Portugal 1.61% - same as 2017
Nicaragua 1.58% - slowest since 1989
Paraguay 1.52% - slowest since 2016
Mexico 1.42% - fastest since 2016
Iceland 1.41% - fastest since 2016
Niue 1.31% - same as 2017
El Salvador 1.30% - fastest since 2016
Croatia 1.28% - fastest since 2016
Australia 1.26% - slowest since 2001
World 1.21% - slowest since 1937
Taiwan 1.21% - same as 2017
Czech Republic 1.19% - slowest since 2013
France 1.14% - slowest since 2016
Uruguay 1.12% - fastest since 2014
Tonga 1.09% - fastest since 2016
Bulgaria 1.08% - fastest since 2015
Indonesia 1.05% - slowest since 2013
New Caledonia 1.04% - slowest since 2014
Belize 1.02% - fastest since 2016
Guadeloupe 0.98% - slowest since 2014
Barbados 0.96% - slowest since 2009
Italy 0.95% - slowest since 1993
Trinidad and Tobago 0.95% - fastest since 2016
Chile 0.92% - fastest since 2013
Netherlands 0.89% - slowest since 2015
Luxembourg 0.88% - slowest since 2016
Hungary 0.84% - fastest since 2015
Reunion 0.84% - fastest since 2014
Romania 0.82% - fastest since 2015
Austria 0.81% - slowest since 2016
Brazil 0.78% - slowest ever (since prior to 1940)
New Zealand 0.69% - slowest since 2000
South Korea 0.64% - fastest since 2015
United States 0.60% - slowest in at least one century
Cook Islands 0.60% - fastest since 2011
Canada 0.57% - slowest since 2008
Ethiopia 0.52% - fastest since 2016
Belgium 0.44% - fastest since 2015
Martinique 0.43% - fastest since 2014
Macau 0.41% - slowest since 2013
Japan 0.40% - same as 2017
Switzerland 0.36% - fastest since 2016
Micronesia 0.34% - slowest since 2004
American Samoa 0.31% - slowest since 2016
Puerto Rico 0.31% - fastest since 2016
Hong Kong 0.30% - fastest since 2015
United Kingdom 0.30% - slowest since 2016
Estonia 0.18% - fastest since 2016
Sweden 0.15% - slowest since 2015
Denmark 0.09% - slowest since 2015
Palau 0.00% - slowest since 2012
Slovenia 0.00% - fastest since 2016
Ukraine -0.13% - slowest since 2016
Armenia -0.28% - fastest since 2016
Germany -0.30% - slowest since 2007
Finland -0.43% - fastest since 2016
Greece -0.50% - slowest since 2014
Norway -0.54% - slowest since 2016
Aruba -0.68% - slowest since 2013
Venezuela -0.85% - slowest ever (since Church establishment in the 1960s)
Moldova -0.96% - slowest since 2013
Cyprus -1.09% - slowest since 2010
Grenada -1.18% - slowest since 2006
Turkey -1.65% - slowest since 2009
Serbia -1.85% - slowest ever (since Church establishment in the late 1980s/early 1990s)
Cayman Islands -2.16% - slowest since 2011
Virgin Islands, U.S. -2.60% - fastest since 2016
Lithuania -4.29% - slowest ever (since Church establishment in the early 1990s)
Georgia -5.60% - slowest since 2016
Dominica -9.32% - slowest since 2010

Missing Country-by-Country Church Data

For many years, I have made numerous requests for the Church Newsroom website staff to publish country-by-country membership and congregational data for all countries with a non-sensitive Church presence. My requests continue to be ignored or redirected without follow through despite my persistent efforts. Moreover, I have credible information that the Statistical Department indeed releases this data to the Newsroom site, but that the site does not publish it for an unknown reason. Here are a list of countries that have been consistently not reported on the website that do not have a sensitive Church presence (i.e. congregational information is published on lds.org/maps):

• Bahrain
• Bermuda
• British Virgin Islands
• Cuba
• Egypt
• Gabon
• Guinea
• Kosovo
• Kuwait
• Lebanon
• Mali
• Morocco
• North Macedonia (FYROM)
• Oman
• Qatar
• Senegal
• Turks and Caicos Islands
• Vietnam

I think that if additional requests are made, the Newsroom site would provide data for these countries as they would see a greater public interest in these data. Please complete the following feedback from the Newsroom site to assist my efforts to provide the public access to this information. The form can be found here: https://ldsrt.allegiancetech.com/cgi-bin/qwebcorporate.dll?idx=HRP7TU. Please copy and paste into your browser.

UPDATED: List of the Countries with the Most Members without a Stake - 2019 Edition

Below is an updated list of the countries with the most Latter-day Saints without a stake. Membership totals are as of 2018 and congregational and district totals are current. Estimated membership for mainland China and Pakistan is provided as official statistics are unavailable. The number of branches and districts in mainland China is not provided due to the sensitive nature of the Church in that country. Previous lists of the countries with the most members without a stake can be found here.

1. China - 12,000 members?
2. Malaysia - 10,504 members - 33 branches - 6 districts
3. Guyana - 6,001 members - 11 branches - 2 districts
4. Belize - 5,429 members - 12 branches - 2 districts
5. Pakistan - 4,600 members? - 14 branches - 3 districts
6. Armenia - 3,560 members - 11 branches - 2 districts
7. Romania - 3,077 members - 15 branches - 2 districts
8. Malawi - 2,941 members - 8 branches - 2 districts
9. Bulgaria - 2,444 members - 7 branches - 0 districts
10. Cameroon - 2,125 members - 13 branches - 2 districts
11. Eswatini (Swaziland) - 2,057 members - 6 branches - 1 district
12. Poland - 2,033 members - 12 branches - 2 districts
13. Ethiopia - 1,933 members - 4 branches - 1 district
14. Cook Islands - 1,854 members - 5 branches - 1 district
15. Tanzania - 1,726 members - 8 branches - 1 district
16. Suriname - 1,630 members - 5 branches - 1 district
17. Sri Lanka - 1,597 members - 4 branches - 1 district
18. Macau - 1,455 members - 3 branches - 1 district

As noted in the list from 2018, prospects appear most favorable for the formation of stakes within the next few years in mainland China, Malaysia, Guyana, Belize, Pakistan, Swaziland, and Cameroon as all of these countries have at least one district that is close to reaching the minimum qualifications for a stake to operate.  Low member activity rates, an insufficient number of branches in individual member districts, slow or stagnant growth, and few full-tithe paying Melchizedek Priesthood holders will likely continue to delay the organization of stakes in other countries for several more years to come.

UPDATED: The 10 Countries/Territories with the Most Members without a Temple Announced, Under Construction, or in Operation

I have updated the list of the countries and dependencies with the most members without a temple with year-end 2018 membership totals. Temples that service stakes, districts, and mission branches in each country are identified. Previous lists are also available for October 2018, April 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, mid-2011, late 2008, and late 2007. This is the first time since I started making these lists on my blog that there is a country with less than 10,000 members in the top ten for most members without a temple. I have put the country name in bold if that country has typically experienced rapid growth (annual membership growth rate of approximately 8% or higher) within the past five years. Also, all of the countries on the list are located in Asia, Africa, or Oceania.

1. Papua New Guinea

• 28,249 members
• 2 stakes, 12 districts
• 80 congregations
• Sydney Australia Temple

2. Sierra Leone

• 21,286 members
• 5 stakes, 4 districts
• 70 congregations
• Accra Ghana Temple

3. Kiribati

• 20,390 members
• 2 stakes, 2 districts
• 36 congregations
• Suva Fiji Temple, Laie Hawaii Temple

4. Uganda

• 16,823 members
• 3 stakes, 2 districts
• 34 congregations
• Johannesburg South Africa Temple

5. Liberia

• 13,275 members
• 4 stakes, 1 district
• 52 congregations 
• Accra Ghana Temple

6. Mozambique

• 12,274 members
• 3 stakes, 1 district
• 37 congregations
• Johannesburg South Africa Temple

7. Madagascar

• 12,257 members
• 2 stakes, 3 districts
• 40 congregations
• Johannesburg South Africa Temple 

8. Mongolia

• 11,895 members
• 2 stakes, 1 district
• 24 congregations
• Hong Kong China Temple

9. Malaysia

• 10,504 members
• 0 stakes, 6 districts
• 33 congregations
• Hong Kong China Temple

10. Vanuatu

• 9,615 members
• 1 stake, 3 districts
• 36 congregations
• Suva Fiji Temple

Congregational Growth by Country: 2018

Below is a list of the countries where the Church reported a net increase of four or more units for the year 2018. The annual percentage increase for the number of wards and branches for each country is also provided:

1. United States +49 (0.34% increase)
2. Nigeria +48 (7.99% increase)
3. Brazil +22 (1.05% increase)
4. Cote d'Ivoire +21 (10.0% increase) 
5. Democratic Republic of the Congo +15 (8.29% increase)
6. Liberia +13 (37.1% increase)
7. Peru +12 (1.61% increase)
8. Ghana +11 (3.63% increase)
9. Philippines +9 (0.74% increase) 
10. South Africa +7 (3.83% increase) 
11. Mozambique +5 (17.3% increase)
12. Uganda +4 (13.8% increase)

The net increase in the number of wards and branches in these 12 countries totals 216; a larger number than the net increase in the number of wards and branches for the entire Church for the year 2018 (30). Twelve (12) countries experienced a net decrease of four or more units during 2018. Altogether, the net decrease in congregations in these 12 nations totaled 218. This was primarily due to a significant decline in the number of congregations in Mexico (-141). This decline in Mexico was attributed to changes in the Mexico Area policies in regards to the size of wards. More specifically, this change in policy has focused on better utilization of meetinghouse space by the establishment of congregations with larger numbers of active members. As a result, the Church closed scores of wards in the Mexico City metropolitan area. The plan in Mexico City to combine wards took years in planning to execute due to the large number of stakes and wards in the city. It appears unlikely that sizable numbers of congregation consolidations will continue in Mexico into 2019 as nearly all major metropolitan areas in Mexico have undergone similar congregation consolidations.

1. Mexico -141 (7.64% decrease) 
2. Venezuela -15 (6.49% decrease)
3. Argentina -12 (1.60% decrease)
4. Chile -11 (1.86% decrease)
5. Germany -7 (4.61% decrease) 
6. Australia -6 (1.98% decrease) 
7. South Korea -5 (4.85% decrease)
8. Russia -5 (5.15% decrease)
9. United Kingdom -4 (1.24% decrease)
10. Italy -4 (4.12% decrease)
11. Colombia -4 (1.63% decrease)
12. Canada -4 (0.81% decrease)

Previous lists for annual congregational growth by country are available for 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017.

Country-by-Country Membership Statistics Released for 2018

The Church has released year-end 2018 membership and congregation totals for most nations with a reported Church presence. These statistics can be accessed on Church's official website at http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/facts-and-statistics.

Countries with the highest annual membership growth rates in 2018 (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, and 2017. The percentage next to the country name is the annual growth rate percentage, which is followed by the country's membership at year-end 2018. Countries in bold experienced an annual membership increase greater than 200 during 2018. 

1. Rwanda - 25.7% - 749
2. Montenegro - 21.1% - 23
3. Angola - 19.3% - 2,933
4. Bosnia and Herzegovina - 15.9% - 80
5. Israel - 15.3% - 332
6. Togo - 14.6% - 4,736
7. Mozambique - 13.3% - 12,274
8. Solomon Islands - 12.8% - 1,240
9. Benin - 11.5% - 3,463
10. Cote d'Ivoire - 11.1% - 48,776
11. Sint Maarten - 10.4% - 277

Below is a list of the top ten countries by numerical membership increase for the year 2018. 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, and 2017. 73.7% of the 2018 net increase in Church membership can be attributed to the following 10 nations. 

1. United States - 39,943 - 20.4%
2. Mexico - 20,391 - 10.4%
3. Philippines - 19,771 - 10.1%
4. Peru - 14,771 - 7.6%
5. Nigeria - 13,535 - 6.9%
6. Brazil - 10,817 - 5.5%
7. Argentina - 8,455 - 4.3%
8. Ghana - 5,586 - 2.8%
9. Guatemala - 5,306 - 2.7%
10. Ecuador - 4,921 - 2.1%

With the country-by-country breakdown for membership in 2018, it can be determined what countries appear primarily responsible for the significant slowdown in membership growth in 2018 compared to 2017. These countries include:

1. Brazil (18,855 members less than 2017 increase)
2. United States (9,748 members less than 2017 increase)
3. Venezuela (2,199 members less than 2017 increase)

Additionally, it appears that the Church has stopped reporting membership for some sensitive countries with a Church presence in its overall membership totals reported in General Conference. In recent years, this number has generally ranged from 10,000 to 20,000. The bulk of this membership consists of members who live in mainland China (estimated at more than 10,000 members, Pakistan (estimated at approximately 4,400 members), and Saudi Arabia (estimated at approximately 1,500 members). Furthermore, the Church has not published membership and congregational data for year-end 2018 for Russia for the first time even though information about the Church in Russia in regards to the locations of its congregations remains public. At most recent report in year-end 2017, the Church in Russia had 23,252 members. Therefore, the sum of Church membership for Russia and sensitive countries should equal approximately 40,000, yet the Church's year-end 2018 membership totals for countries listed on the Newsroom site (16,251,031) is only 25,339 short of the worldwide total reported for year-end 2018 per the annual statistical report figure (16,313,735). Thus, there appears to have been an error in reporting the worldwide total for Church membership for year-end 2018, or the Church has stopped reporting its membership for sensitive countries in world totals, which would result in a decrease of approximately 15,000-20,000 members from what would ordinary be reported.

I will provide additional analysis of year-end 2018 membership by country in the coming days.

Updated Country Profile - Andorra

Click here to access the updated Reaching the Nations country profile for the European micro-state of Andorra. The Church has operated the Andorra Branch since 1993 although the branch has held its meetings in La Seu d’Urgell, Spain since the early 2010s. Nevertheless, a member group was recently reestablished within the country of Andorra a couple years ago. There appear to be less than one hundred members in the country today. See below for the Future Prospects section of the article:

The continued operation of the Andorra Branch without the permanent assignment of full-time missionaries for significant periods of time in the past two decades indicates that local leadership and active membership are self-reliant and capable of fulfilling administrative tasks with minimal mentoring and supervision from missionaries and mission leaders. There has been good progress in the 2010s with the augmentation of church attendance from approximately thirteen in mid-2011 to thirty by early 2018. The establishment of a member group that assembles within Andorra has appeared primarily responsible for increases in Church attendance and reactivation efforts. Low receptivity to non-Catholic denominations will likely continue and result in stagnant membership growth for the foreseeable future unless local members are able to develop proselytism approaches culturally tailored to the needs and societal conditions of Andorra. Progress with the Church in Andorra within the foreseeable future will likely center on Spanish-speaking Latin Americans who live in the country for employment purposes as they are the most receptive group according to reports from full-time missionaries. However, the group in Andorra is vulnerable for closure in the future due to the small size of active membership and lack of adequate numbers of local leadership to staff an official branch. Moreover, the transient nature of members who temporarily live in the country for employment purposes poses challenges for long-term stability for the Church in Andorra, specifically with leadership development.

Eight New Temples - Analysis

See below for an analysis of the eight new temples announced today by President Russell M. Nelson. This marks the third most temples ever announced on a single day after October 7th, 2018 (12 temples) and April 1st, 1981 (nine temples). This group of locations probably constitutes the most unusual cohort of temples ever announced by the Church to date given the small size of Church membership in these locations, historically slow growth in most of these locations, and geographical distribution. Also, I believe this marks the first time when I did not accurately predict any of temples actually announced in General Conference per my top ten list I publish within the month before General Conference (five of the eight temples were on the map of 55 likely and 38 less likely locations for future temples).

The location and number of temple announcements within the past year suggests a significant shift to build temples in areas where there have historically been long-term membership in the Church regardless of the number of stakes or current/recent growth rates. For example, half of the new temples announced today have not had a new stake organized within the probable future temple district during the past decade. Also, most of the temples announced would service small Latter-day Saint populations. For example, of the eight new temples announced only three temples appear likely to service more than five stakes (Tooele Valley, Utah; Antofagasta, Chile; San Pedro Sula, Honduras). This suggests a shift to reinstituting small temples like during President Gordon B. Hinckley's presidency of the Church. Also, there remain many locations where steady growth has occurred in the past 1-2 decades, but no temples have been announced, such as Rogers, Arkansas; Benin City, Nigeria; and Santa Cruz, Bolivia to name a few. I believe we may see 5-15 new temples announced per General Conference going forward given this recent shift in temple construction.

Pago Pago Samoa Temple
The Pago Pago Samoa Temple will be the Church's first temple in the United States territory of American Samoa and second temple in the Samoan Islands. With a mere population of 51,000 according to the CIA World Factbook estimate, American Samoa is now the country/territory with the smallest population with a temple dedicated, under construction, or announced. The Church has reported steady growth in American Samoa for many years. The Church initially announced a temple in Samoa for American Samoa in 1977, but moved the location from Pago Pago to Apia, Samoa in 1980 to better meet the needs of Samoan members who were most heavily concentrated on Upolu. The population of American Samoa in 2018 was the same as it was in the early 1990s, yet Church membership increased from 12,000 to 16,390. Between 2000 and 2018, the number of stakes increased from four to five, the number of wards increased from 29 to 38, the number of branches remained unchanged (5), and the percentage of members in the population increased from 22.2% to approximately 32%. Based upon year-end 2017 membership data, American Samoa was previously the country/territory with the fourth most members without a temple. It is anticipated that the new temple will services five stakes - all of which are located in American Samoa.

Okinawa City Okinawa Temple
The Okinawa City Okinawa Temple will be the Church's fourth temple in the sovereign nation of Japan. The new temple will likely serve only one stake and one district - both of which are headquartered on Okinawa. The Church previously had two stakes in Okinawa, but closed one of the stakes (Ginowan Japan Stake - created in 1999) in 2014 and combined many of the Japanese-speaking congregations on the island. Today, the Okinawa Japan Stake (organized in 1980) has five wards and three branches. The Okinawa Japan Military District (organized in 1979) has four branches, three of which are located on Okinawa. The Church also briefly operated a mission in Okinawa between 1990 and 1996. Okinawa has a population of 1.4 million people. The announcement of the Okinawa City Okinawa Temple came as a complete surprise to me given the small size of the Church in Okinawa and the lack of growth on the island in recent years. This development suggests that the Church may announce temples in many additional, remote locations around the world where only one or two stakes operate, such as Fairbanks, Alaska; Puerto Arenas, Chile; and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Neiafu Tonga Temple
The Neiafu Tonga Temple will be the second temple to be built in Tonga after the Nuku'alofa Tonga Temple was dedicated in 1983. The new temple is located on Vava'u and will likely service five stakes and two districts in central and northern islands of the country. The Church organized its first stake in Vava'u in 1975. Three additional stakes were organized in Vava'u in 1980, 1995, and 2017. 18.7% of the population of Vava'u identified as Latter-day Saint on the 2016 census. Church-reported membership for Tonga constitutes 60% of the population although individuals who self-identified as Latter-day Saint on the 2016 constituted only 19% of the population. Nevertheless, Latter-day Saints number among the fastest growing major churches in Tonga based on census data.

Tooele Valley Utah Temple
The Church announced its 21st temple in Utah in the Tooele Valley. The new temple will likely service the 10 stakes and one district in Tooele County, as well as the two stakes in Elko, Nevada for a total of 12 stakes and one district. The first stake in Tooele was organized in 1877. The number of stakes in the Tooele Valley has increased from six to 10 since 2000.

Moses Lake Washington Temple
The Moses Lake Washington Temple will be the Church's fourth temple in Washington. Temples have previously been dedicated in Seattle (1980), Spokane (1999), and Columbia River [located in Richland] (2001). The new temple appears likely to service only four stakes although a fifth stake may be organized in the foreseeable future from the Moses Lake Washington Stake (11 wards, 1 branch at present). Slow growth has occurred for the Church in the Moses Lake area of Washington, with the most recently organized stake in the probable future temple district being created in Ephrata in 1980. The first stake in the area likely to be serviced by the temple was organized in Moses Lake in 1954.

San Pedro Sula Honduras Temple
The San Pedro Sula Honduras Temple will be the Church's second temple in Honduras. The Church dedicated its first temple in Honduras, the Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple, in 2013. Rapid growth has occurred in northern Honduras within the past decade as evidenced by the number of stakes increasing from nine in 2010 to 15 at present. The new temple will likely service 15 stakes and one district in northern Honduras.

Antofagasta Chile Temple
The Antofagasta Chile Temple will be the Church's third temple in Chile and first temple in northern Chile. The Church has previously dedicated temples in Santiago (1983) and Concepcion (2018). The new temple will likely service seven stakes and two districts in northern Chile. Prior to the announcement, Chile was the country with the most members with only two temples dedicated, under construction, or announced.

Budapest Hungary Temple
The Budapest Hungary Temple will be the Church's first temple in Hungary and third temple in Eastern Europe (excluding former East Germany) after the Kyiv Ukraine Temple (dedicated in 2010) and the Russia Temple (announced in 2018, city yet to be announced). The new temple will likely service three stakes (one in Hungary, two in Austria) and as many as eight districts in Hungary (2), Romania (2), Croatia, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia. The Church in Hungary has historically experienced some of the greatest growth for the Church in former communist Central Europe and Eastern Europe. However, the Church in Hungary nevertheless has only 5,250 members, of whom only about 1,000 regularly attend church. The new temple has good potential to help discourage Hungarian members from emigrating and strengthen the Church's sense of community.

Eight New Temples Announced

This afternoon President Russell M. Nelson announced eight new temples in the following locations:

• Pago Pago, American Samoa
• Okinawa City, Okinawa
• Neiafu, Tonga
• Tooele Valley, Utah
• Moses Lake, Washington
• San Pedro Sula, Honduras
• Antofagasta, Chile
• Budapest, Hungary

With these new temple announcements, there are now 209 temples that are dedicated, under construction, or announced.

2018 Statistical Report

This afternoon, the Church reported the following statistics as of December 31st, 2018.

• Membership: 16,313,735 (increase of 195,566 from 2017; a 1.21% annual increase)
• Congregations: 30,536 (increase of 30 from 2017; a 0.10% annual increase)
• Stakes: 3,383 (increase of 42 from 2017; a 1.26% annual increase)
• Districts: 547 (decrease of 6 from 2017; a 1.08% annual decrease)
• Missions: 407 (decrease of 14 from 2017; a 3.33% annual decrease)
• Convert Baptisms: 234,332 (increase of 603 from 2017; a 0.26% annual increase)
• Increase of Children on Record: 102,102 (decrease of 4,669 from 2016; a 4.37% annual decrease)
• Full-time missionaries: 65,137 (decrease of 1,912 from 2017; a 2.94% annual decrease)
• Church service missionaries: 37,963 (increase of 1,791 from 2017; a 4.95% annual increase)

Compared to the statistical report for 2017, the Church in 2018 reported no significant change in regards to the number of converts baptized and increase in children of record. However, the most startling finding with the 2018 statistical report is a significant increase in the number of membership records that have been removed. The number of membership records added to the Church in 2018 through convert baptisms and increase in children of record (usually children born to parents who are Church members) was 336,434. To put this into perspective, most years in the past two decades have had 340,000-400,000 new members added to the Church through convert baptisms or increase in children of record. However, the actual increase in church membership during the year 2018 was a mere 195,566. This is the lowest net increase in church membership since 1978 when the Church reported a net increase of 194,000 members. The summation of convert baptisms and increase in children of record minus the net increase of church-reported membership gives a number that represents the approximate number of membership records removed from Church records (when I say approximate it is because we have no data available about the number of excommunicated members who are re-baptized into the Church a year as these baptisms do not count as convert baptisms). This number is 140,868 for 2018, whereas it was only 104,748 for 2017. As a result, 2018 was the year with the largest number of membership records ever removed by the Church in a single year. The second highest year was in 2014 when the discrepancy in convert baptisms/increase in children of record and net increase in church membership equaled 122,903. The Church has removed 100,000 or more membership records as year since 2014. The annual membership growth rate continues to slow, to a mere 1.21% for 2018 - the slowest membership growth rate since 1937.

Why were so many membership records been removed from Church records in 2018? For starters, with consistent increases in total church membership for many decades, the number membership records that are removed each year is naturally going to increase. However, this does not appear to explain most of the reason why there was such a large increase in records removed in 2018. Improvements with clerk resources for tracking and updating membership records appears to have been part of this increase in membership records removals. It appears that a large number of membership records removed year to year are children of record who are not baptized by age nine. As the Church reported a sudden increase in children of record beginning in 2008 (a 31.8% increase in a single year from 93,698 to 123,502) that was sustained for several consecutive years in the 120,000s, it appears that perhaps many of these children of record have not been baptized and therefore have been removed from the official membership totals (children born during these years recently reached baptismal age). Resignations (individuals who request to have their names removed from Church records) may have also increased in 2018 compared to previous years although the vast majority of these individuals have been inactive members for a considerable period of time. Lastly, an increase in deaths due to aging church membership may also account for this increase in record removals.

Concerns with slowing church growth continued to be apparent from the 2018 statistical report like in the 2017 statistical report. For example, the net increase in the number of congregations (i.e. wards and branches) also reached a 65-year-old low set back in 1953 when there was a decrease of 35 congregations. However, this statistics was strongly affected by the closure of approximately 150 wards and branches in Mexico as part of an area-wide initiative to create larger congregations that better utilize meetinghouse spaces, particularly within Mexico City.

2018 Projected Membership by Country

Within the next couple weeks, the Church will likely publish country-by-country data regarding the number of Church-reported members. See below for my projections for year-end 2018 membership by country. Most of the estimates below were generated from assuming membership growth occurred at the same rate in 2018 as it did in 2017. However, I have made a few adjustments, such as in regards to the United States and Mexico where membership growth rates have likely continued to decelerate.

World	16,223,596
United States	6,600,000
Mexico	1,450,000
Brazil	1,410,000
Philippines	784,827
Peru	601,716
Chile	594,361
Argentina	459,510
Guatemala	275,000
Ecuador	248,012
Bolivia	207,089
Colombia	204,356
Canada	197,992
United Kingdom	187,856
Honduras	178,003
Nigeria	174,587
Venezuela	168,887
Australia	153,236
Dominican Republic	137,579
Japan	129,814
El Salvador	127,222
New Zealand	114,506
Uruguay	105,943
Nicaragua	101,300
Paraguay	94,918
South Korea	88,083
Ghana	83,595
Samoa	82,128
South Africa	67,381
Tonga	65,492
Congo, Democratic Republic of	62,559
Taiwan	61,022
Panama	58,214
Spain	57,880
Costa Rica	50,208
Cote d'Ivoire	48,201
Portugal	45,199
Germany	40,063
France	39,675
Zimbabwe	33,360
Papua New Guinea	28,470
French Polynesia	28,214
Italy	27,300
Hong Kong	24,835
Haiti	23,769
Russia	23,324
Puerto Rico	23,140
Thailand	22,926
Fiji	21,283
Sierra Leone	21,215
Kiribati	21,012
Uganda	16,801
American Samoa	16,498
Cape Verde	14,906
Cambodia	14,796
Kenya	14,015
India	13,999
Liberia	13,179
Madagascar	12,422
Mozambique	12,263
China	12,000
Mongolia	11,846
Ukraine	11,237
Malaysia	10,438
Sweden	9,772
Vanuatu	9,666
Netherlands	9,544
Switzerland	8,791
Indonesia	7,509
Congo, Republic of	7,497
Jamaica	6,504
Marshall Islands	6,494
Micronesia	6,447
Belgium	6,370
Guyana	6,006
Belize	5,416
Hungary	5,236
Finland	4,842
Austria	4,710
Norway	4,613
Denmark	4,478
Togo	4,464
Zambia	4,420
Pakistan	4,400
Ireland	3,990
Benin	3,572
Armenia	3,528
Botswana	3,517
Trinidad and Tobago	3,474
Singapore	3,353
Albania	3,124
Romania	3,045
Malawi	3,004
Angola	2,793
Czech Republic	2,643
Guam	2,601
Vietnam	2,600
New Caledonia	2,457
Bulgaria	2,407
Cameroon	2,258
Swaziland	2,048
Poland	2,026
Ethiopia	1,930
Cook Islands	1,843
Tanzania	1,768
Suriname	1,611
Sri Lanka	1,586
United Arab Emirates	1,567
Macau	1,469
Solomon Islands	1,246
Latvia	1,242
Lesotho	1,165
Estonia	1,120
Barbados	1,089
Bahamas	1,055
Lithuania	976
Reunion	969
Namibia	853
Northern Mariana Islands	846
Greece	832
Rwanda	802
Burundi	780
St. Vincent	713
Croatia	631
Aruba	618
Turkey	581
Qatar	560
Virgin Islands, U.S.	555
Curacao	526
Palau	525
Mauritius	520
Guadeloupe	505
Luxembourg	477
Cyprus	457
French Guiana	453
Moldova	435
Grenada	434
Slovenia	417
Serbia	388
St. Lucia	385
Kuwait	350
Israel	318
Niue	309
Cuba	300
Iceland	291
Tuvalu	285
Slovakia	276
Jersey	275
Isle of Man	275
Georgia	271
Turks and Caicos Islands	264
Gabon	262
Central African Republic	252
Martinique	248
Cayman Islands	246
Antigua and Barbuda	244
Malta	222
St. Maarten	221
Bahrain	215
Bermuda	190
St. Kitts and Nevis	184
Kazakhstan	182
Dominica	157
Virgin Islands, British	150
Nauru	124
Senegal	120
Kosovo	110
Morocco	90
Oman	82
Guinea	80
Bosnia and Herzegovina	72
Guernsey	66
Macedonia	40
Montenegro	15