At Least 66 New Stakes in 2015 - Highest Number Since 1998; At Least 32 New Districts in 2015 - Highest Number since 1994

With the announcement of three new stakes created on December 13th, the Church in 2015 has organized the largest number of new stakes since 1998. Accelerated stake growth in recent years has resulted from the organization of new stakes by dividing previously operating stakes and the advancement of districts into stakes. Slight accelerations in congregational growth rates have also prompted larger numbers of new stakes. Of the 66 stakes organized in 2015, 22 were created from member districts. In 2014, 20 of the 64 stakes organized were created from districts. The net increase of stakes in 2015 was lower than 2014 as the Church has discontinued seven stakes in 2015, whereas only one stake was discontinued in 2014.

District growth has also significantly accelerated in 2015. The Church has reported at least 32 new districts organized in 2015 - the largest number reported by the Church since 1994 when there was a net increase of 62 districts (and as many as 74 districts may have been organized in 1994). However, the Church has thus far reported a net decrease of three districts in 2015 as 13 districts were discontinued and 22 districts advanced into stakes.

These developments signal a modest improvement in "real growth" trends for the Church. It is important to note that the Church experienced its greatest numerical increases in stakes and districts during the late 1970s and in the 1990s notwithstanding fewer missionaries serving and fewer members of the Church. In the past couple years, stake and district growth has accelerated in Sub-Saharan Africa,  Asia, and Oceania, but has slowed or has stagnated in Latin America and Europe.

Final, official numbers for the number of stakes and districts at year-end 2015 will be available in April 2016 when the Church presents its annual statistical report.

Stake and District Database

After four months of development, we have completed a comprehensive database listing all of the Church's stakes and districts known to have ever operated. Information in the database includes the name of each stake or district and its corresponding country, administration division, creation date, former names, parent stake or district, notes, discontinuation date (when applicable), and reasons for discontinuation (if known). We hope that this database will be utilized by researchers and the public to promote greater interest and scholarship in the study of the growth of the LDS Church. If you notice any errors in the database or have something to add, please contact me by commenting to this blog post.

The database can be accessed here and may be viewed in Google Sheets or downloaded into Microsoft Excel.

District and Branch Growth

One of the interesting phenomenons in the Church that has arisen in the past 60 years are long periods of time in which there is a steady increase in wards but no increase or a decrease in the number of branches. Such a trend has occurred from the early 1950s to 1986 and since 2000. At the end of 2000 there were 17,994 wards and 7,927 branches worldwide. Currently there are about 20,506 wards and 7,821 branches in countries in which the Church publishes its presence. The number of branches worldwide is likely around 7,930. Between 2000 and the beginning of December 2009, the number of wards increased by 2,512 while the number of branches remained nearly unchanged.

The number of districts in the Church has changed with the number of branches. By the end of 2000 there were 621 districts. At the end of 2008 there were 622 districts. Reasons for periods of no increase in the number of districts and branches is due to the district/branch creation rate equaling the rate at which districts turn into stakes, branches turn into wards, or districts and branches being discontinued.

An increase in districts and branches is of great interest in studying the growth of the Church because these typically indicate the Church moving into unreached areas of the world and establishing a local leadership presence. However a steady increase in districts and branches can also indicate that the Church in unable to mature enough in areas of the world for these to turn into stakes and wards.

In 2009 we have seen the most new districts organized in the Church since 2004. So far in 2009 we have had more districts created from mission branches than any year since the 1990s. There have been at least 20 new districts organized this year, 17 of which were from mission branches in areas in which the Church is just beginning to develop local leadership and greater membership strength. Below is a list of the known new districts created this year and previous years back to 2001. Districts which were created from a portion of an operating stake are in italics and new districts created from the portion of a discontinued stake are in bold. Districts which have since been discontinued are in red.

2009

1. Chişinau Moldova
   
2. Arad Romania
3. Cayenne French Guiana
4. Oron Nigeria
5. Ikot Ekpene Nigeria
6. Yamoussoukro Côte d'Ivoire
7. Miskolc Hungary
8. Szombathely Hungary
9. Bloemfontein South Africa
10. Konongo Ghana
11. Chennai India
12. Coimbatore India
13. Visakhapatnam India
14. Sousa Brazil
15. Baler Philippines
16. Bonao Dominican Republic
17. Cotuí Dominican Republic
18. La Vega Dominican Republic
    
19. Baghdad Iraq Military
20. Addis Ababa Ethiopia
21. Tzaneen South Africa
22. Sibu East Malaysia
23. Okrika Nigeria
    

2008

1. Pinotepa México
2. Planaltina Brazil
3. Caruaru Brazil
4. Mamanguape Brazil
5. Mbabane Swaziland
6. Newcastle South Africa
7. Miri East Malaysia
8. Shanghai China International (English)
9. Kabul Afghanistan Military
   
10. Rigo Papua New Guinea
11. Andahuayles Peru
12. Huancavelica Peru
13. Yerevan Armenia South
14. Ibiono Nigeria

2007

1. Abomosu Ghana
2. Richards Bay South Africa
3. Sogod Philippines
4. Ulsan South Korea
5. Monte Plata Dominican Republic
6. Oldenburg Germany
7. Nicosia Cyprus

2006

1. Ponte Nova Brazil
2. Teofilo Otoni Brazil
3. Asaba Nigeria
4. Luputa Democratic Republic of Congo
   
5. Esteli Nicaragua
6. Juigalpa Nicaragua
7. Moscow Russia West
8. Rafaela Argentina
   

2005

1. Juaziero Brazil
2. Gramado Brazil
3. Okpuala Ngwa Nigeria
4. Dar es Salaam Tanzania
5. Kitwe Zambia
6. Gonzaga Philippines
7. Burgos Philippines
8. Roxas Philippines Isabela
9. Kampong Cham Cambodia
10. Calabozo Venezuela
11. Canje Guyana
12. Mariano Roque Alonso Paraguay
    
13. Alto Hospicio Chile
14. Esquel Argentina
15. Erfurt Germany

2004

1. Izucar de Matamoros Mexico
2. Chahuites Mexico
3. Ariquemes Brazil
4. Pouso Alegre Brazil
5. Goiana Brazil
6. Jequie Brazil
7. Lagarto Brazil
8. Palmares Brazil
9. Parnaiba Brazil
10. Agoo Philippines
11. Baliwag Philippines
12. Bongabon Philippines
13. La Caroleta Philippines
14. Curacao Netherlands Antilles
15. Oranjestad Aruba
16. Paramaribo Suriname
17. Caleta Olivia Argentina
18. Santa Teresita Argentina
19. Tres Arroyos Argentina
20. Managua Nicaragua Tipitapa
21. Togliatti Russia
22. Katowice Poland
23. Basse Terre Saint Kitts and Nevis

2003

1. Guanajuato Mexico
2. Akure Nigeria
3. Beira Mozambique
4. Gweru Zimbabwe
5. Kananga Democratic Republic of Congo
6. Lusaka Zambia
7. Maputo Mozambique
8. Ballestros Philippines
9. Bauang Philippines
10. Camiling Philippines East
11. Camiling Philippines West
12. Mangaldan Philippines
13. Mapandan Philippines
14. Ipoh Malaysia
15. Kuching East Malaysia
16. Georgetown Guyana
17. Coyhaique Chile
18. La Union Chile
19. Gualeguaychu Argentina
20. Fort Stockton Texas
21. Aracati Brazil

2002

1. Bangui Philippines
2. Bambang Philippines
3. Vigan Philippines
4. Phnom Penh Cambodia South
5. Gerehu Papua New Guinea
6. Goroka Papua New Guinea
7. Kuriva Papua New Guinea
8. Oro Papua New Guinea
9. El Triunfo Ecuador
10. Riberalta Bolivia
11. Puerto Suarez Bolivia
12. Coquimbo Chile
    
13. Coronel Chile
14. Lebu Chile
15. Linares Chile
16. Melipilla Chile
17. Ovalle Chile
18. Parral Chile
19. San Fernando Chile
20. Talagante Chile
21. Vaiparaiso Chile West
22. Canada de Gomez Argentina
23. Volgograd Russia
24. Basse-Terre Guadeloupe
    
25. Christ Church Barbados
26. Linstead Jamaica
27. Montego Bay Jamaica
28. New Providence Bahamas
29. Likasi Democratic Republic of Congo
30. Itapeva Brazil District

2001

1. Pirassununga Brazil
2. Sao Borja Brazil
3. Sao Gabriel Brazil
4. Aguilar Philippines
   
5. Bangued Philippines
6. Biliran Philippines
7. Calasiao Philippines
8. Phnom Penh Cambodia Central (Vietnamese)
9. Jeju Korea
10. Carupano Venezuela
11. La Paz Argentina
12. Ushuaia Argentina
13. Krasnoyarsk Russia
14. Omsk Russia
15. Nueva Tolten Chile