The Church has announced a large number of new temples within the past 6 years. The last General Conference when no new temples were announced was in October 2017. In 2017, the Church announced five new temples (all in April), whereas there were four new temples announced in 2016, three new temples announced in 2015, and no new temples announced in 2014. However, the rate of new temple announcements has accelerated to approximately 30-35 a year since 2021, as shown below:
- 2018 - 19
- 2019 - 16
- 2020 - 14
- 2021 - 34
- 2022 - 35
- 2023 - 15
In my most recent temple predictions map published earlier this month, I identified 216 potential locations that appear likely to have a temple announced based upon the factors that have probably contributed to the announcement of recently announced temples. If the rate of temples announced remains at 30 per yer, this means that all the locations I have identified on this map will be exhausted by the end of the year 2030. There may be a few probable locations that I have missed in my map, but I find it highly unlikely, with the current number of stakes and congregations, for there to be many additional locations that appear likely candidates for temple announcements. Therefore, if the current rate of temple announcements is sustained, it appears unlikely that this number of temples will be announced every year for longer than 6 years unless there is a significant increase in growth that warrants the construction of additional temples. The Church reported 21.5 stakes per temple as of year-end 2000. Currently, there is one temple per 11.25 stakes. If this ratio is to be maintained and 30 new temples are announced per year, then the Church would need to have a net increase of 337 stakes per year to keep this ratio at 11 stakes per temple. In contrast, the Church reported an average net increase of 51.6 stakes during the past 10 years. If the Church were to target an average of six stakes per temple district (which in many areas of the world is a realistic number for a small temple due to geographic distance), then there would be 591 temples. However, considering thousands of stakes operate in metropolitan areas where temples already operate, there appears to be little need to have such a large number of temples at present.
Church growth rates are rarely consistent for a considerable period of time, and these rates often ebb and flow and cycle through periods of deceleration and acceleration (especially within individual countries). It will therefore be imperative for significant increases in active membership to warrant the construction of additional temples by 2030 unless the rate at which new temples are announced decelerates.
There is a high degree of uncertainty what locations may be likely future candidates for temples that currently do not appear to be probable ones. However, based on my experience with tracking the growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than 20 years, I would consider the following 41 locations as possible candidates by 2030 (none of these locations are currently listed as likely locations for temple announcements at present). I do not have the time to provide my rationale for each of these possibilities, but if there is a question about one, do not hesitate to comment below:
- Abeokuta, Nigeria
- Accra, Ghana (2nd temple)
- Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Akure, Nigeria
- Aparri, Philippines
- Assin Foso, Ghana
- Blantyre, Malawi
- Bujumbura, Burundi
- Butuan City, Philippines
- Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Eldoret, Kenya
- Gaborone, Botswana
- General Santos, Philippines
- Georgetown, Guyana
- Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Huambo, Angola
- Jos, Nigeria
- Kigali, Rwanda
- Kisangani DR Congo
- Kolwezi, DR Congo
- Lae, Papua New Guinea
- Legazpi, Philippines
- Makurdi, Nigeria
- Maseru, Lesotho
- Matadi DR Congo
- Mbabane, Eswatini
- Mwene-Ditu, DR Congo
- Nampula, Mozambique
- Onitsha, Nigeria
- Owerri, Nigeria
- Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo
- Sagay, Philippines
- Seville, Spain
- Tagbilaran, Philippines
- Talca, Chile
- Takoradi, Ghana
- Toamasina, Madagascar
- Ubon, Thailand
- Warri, Nigeria
- Yaounde, Cameroon
- Yenagoa, Nigeria
