UPDATED: List of the Countries with the Most Latter-day Saints without a Stake or District: April 2022 Edition

Each country or territory with at least 200 members without a stake or district is provided below with the number of members (as of year-end 2021), number of congregations (at present), and current, if any, affiliation with another stake or district.

1. Armenia - 3,537 members - 5 branches
   
2. Bulgaria - 2,395 members - 7 branches
3. Northern Mariana Islands - 897 members - 1 ward - part of the Barrigada Guam Stake
4. Greece - 792 members - 2 branches
5. Qatar - 700 members? - 2 wards, 1 branch - part of the Abu Dhabi Stake
6. US Virgin Islands - 589 members (2019 statistic)- 2 branches
7. Curacao - 575 members - 1 branch - part of the ABC District based in Aruba 
8. Turkey - 573 members - 9 branches 
9. Palau - 532 members - 1 branch - part of the Barrigada Guam Stake
   
10. Luxembourg - 523 members - 1 ward, 1 branch  - part of the Nancy France Stake
11. French Guiana - 482 members - 1 branch - part of the Guadeloupe District
    
12. Moldova - 448 members, 2 branches
    
13. Grenada - 396 members - 1 branch - part of the Kingstown St Vincent District
    
14. Saint Lucia - 394 members - 3 branches - part of the Kingstown St Vincent District
15. Kuwait - 359 members - 1 ward - part of the Manama Bahrain Stake 
16. Tuvalu - 335 members, 1 branch
17. Iceland - 331 members - 3 branches
18. Niue - 312 members - 2 branches
19. Gabon - 300 members?, 2 branches 
20. Laos - 300 members? - 2 branches 
21. Isle of Man - 299 members - 1 ward - part of the Liverpool England Stake
22. Saint Maarten/Saint Martin - 286 members - 1 branch - part of Lesser Antilles North District
    
23. Jersey - 281 members - 1 ward - part of the Poole England Stake
24. Antigua and Barbuda - 276 members, 1 branch - part of Lesser Antilles North District
25. Central African Republic - 263 members, 1 branch 
26. Martinique - 261 members, 1 branch - part of Guadeloupe District
    
27. Republic of Georgia - 258 members - 2 branches
28. Cayman Islands - 224 members, 1 branch - part of the Nassau Caribbean District
29. Malta - 223 members - 1 branch
    
30. Saint Kitts and Nevis - 212 members, 1 branch - part of Lesser Antilles North District
    
31. Kazakhstan - 205 members - 3 branches

Of these 31 countries and dependencies, 10 previously had a district including Bulgaria (2), Armenia, Greece, Curacao, Palau, French Guiana, Moldova, Turkey, Niue, and Iceland.

UPDATED: List of the Countries with the Most Latter-day Saints without a Stake or District

The Church in 2016 and thus far in 2017 has organized its first district in a couple nations where no districts or stakes previously operated, namely Lesotho (February 2016) and Rwanda (March 2017). As a result, I wanted to update my list of the countries with the most Latter-day Saints without a stake or district. Previous lists for this measure can be found here. For those who may be unfamiliar with what a district is, please refer to our Missiology Encyclopedia entry for "district" that can be found here.

Each country or territory with at least 200 members without a stake or district is provided below with the number of members (as of year-end 2016), number of congregations (at present), and current, if any, affiliation with another stake or district. Countries in green appear likely to have their first districts/stakes created in the near future. Countries in yellow generally have a large number of recent converts and few active priesthood holders to hold leadership positions, but have a high likelihood for districts to be organized in the coming years. Countries in red have problems with member inactivity or too few members to create a district in the foreseeable future. Countries in blue pertain to other stakes or districts and do not appear likely to become their own districts due to reasonably close proximity to their current stake or district headquarters. Countries in dark blue have a poor likelihood for the organization of a district due to few members spread over large geographic areas.

1. Bulgaria - 2,429 members - 9 branches
2. Bahamas - 1,029 members - 3 branches (includes Turks and Caicos Islands)
3. Northern Mariana Islands - 786 members - 1 ward - part of the Barrigada Guam Stake
4. Greece - 772 members - 3 branches
5. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - 653 members - 2 branches, 1 group
6. Qatar - 625 members? - 2 wards, 1 branch - part of the Abu Dhabi Stake
7. Burundi - 604 members - 3 branches 
8. US Virgin Islands - 597 members - 2 branches
9. Curacao - 550 members - 1 branch - part of the ABC District based in Aruba 
10. Turkey - 513 members - 7 branches 
11. Mauritius - 512 members - 3 branches - part of the St. Denis Reunion-Mauritius District
12. Palau - 505 members - 1 branch
13. Luxembourg - 431 members - 1 ward - part of the Nancy France Stake
14. Grenada - 416 members - 1 branch
15. French Guiana - 403 members - 1 branch 
16. Saint Lucia - 351 members - 2 branches, 1 group?
17. Kuwait - 315 members? - 1 ward - part of the Manama Bahrain Stake
18. Jersey - 305 members - 1 ward - part of the Poole England Stake
19. Niue - 301 members - 2 branches
20. Laos - 300 members? - 2 branches 
21. Isle of Man - 299 members - 1 ward - part of the Liverpool England Stake
22. Saint Maarten/Saint Martin - 281 members - 1 branch 
23. Iceland - 277 members - 2 branches
24. Republic of Georgia - 265 members - 1 branch, 1 group
25. Saint Kitts and Nevis - 238 members, 1 branch
26. Antigua and Barbuda - 230 members, 1 branch
27. Tuvalu - 229 members, 1 branch
28. Cayman Islands - 216 members, 1 branch
29. Central African Republic - 216 members, 1 branch 
30. Kazakhstan - 212 members - 2 branches
31. Martinique - 212 members, 1 branch, 1 group
32. Gabon - 200 members?, 2 branches

Of these 32 countries and dependencies, 10 previously had a district including Bulgaria (2), the Bahamas, Greece, Curacao, Palau, Mauritius, French Guiana, Turkey, Niue, and Iceland.

Updated List of the Countries with the Most Latter-day Saints without a Stake or District

The Church in 2015 has thus far organized districts in several nations where no districts or stakes previously operated such as Aruba, Lebanon, Macau, Namibia, and Slovakia. Consequently, it is time to update the list of the countries with the most Latter-day Saints without a stake or district. Previous lists for this measure can be found here. For those who may be unfamiliar with what a district is, please refer to our Missiology Encyclopedia entry for "district" that can be found here.

Each country or territory with at least 200 members without a stake or district is provided below with the number of members (as of year-end 2014), number of branches (at present), and current, if any, affiliation with another stake or district.  Countries in green appear likely to have their first districts/stakes created in the near future. Countries in yellow generally have a large number of recent converts and few active priesthood holders to hold leadership positions, but have a high likelihood for districts to be organized in the coming years. Countries in red have problems with member inactivity or too few members to create a district in the foreseeable future. Countries in blue pertain to other stakes or districts and do not appear likely to become their own districts due to reasonably close proximity to their current stake or district headquarters. Countries in dark blue have a poor likelihood for the organization of a district due to few members spread over large geographic areas.

1. Bulgaria - 2,392 members - 9 branches
2. Bahamas - 998 members - 3 branches (includes Turks and Caicos Islands)
3. Lesotho - 867 members - 3 branches - part of the Bloemfontein South Africa Stake
4. Northern Mariana Islands - 789 members - 1 ward - part of the Barrigada Guam Stake
5. Greece - 742 members - 4 branches
6. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - 600 members - 2 branches, 1 group
7. US Virgin Islands - 590 members - 2 branches
8. Curacao - 552 members - 1 branch - part of the ABC District based in Aruba
9. Burundi - 526 members - 3 branches
10. Mauritius - 458 members - 2 branches - part of the St. Denis Reunion-Mauritius District
11. Palau - 457 members - 1 branch
12. Luxembourg - 405 members - 1 ward - part of the Nancy France Stake
13. Turkey - 397 members - 4 branches
14. Grenada - 376 members - 1 branch
15. French Guiana - 373 members - 1 branch
16. Jersey - 312 members - 1 ward - part of the Poole England Stake
17. Isle of Man - 310 members - 1 ward - part of the Liverpool England Stake
18. Saint Lucia - 303 members - 2 branches, 1 group?
19. Niue - 288 members - 2 branches
20. Kazakhstan - 281 members - 2 branches
21. Rwanda - 281 members - 3 branches 
22. Iceland - 275 members - 2 branches
23. Republic of Georgia - 274 members - 1 branch, 1 group
24. Laos - 270 members? - 1 branch
25. Saint Maarten/Saint Martin - 260 members - 1 branch
26. Tuvalu - 227 members, 1 branch
27. Central African Republic - 216 members, 1 branch 
28. Martinique - 215 members, 1 branch, 1 group
29. Cayman Islands - 201 members, 1 branch

Of these 32 countries and dependencies, 10 previously had a district including Bulgaria (2), the Bahamas, Greece, Curacao, Palau, Mauritius, French Guiana, Turkey, Niue, and Iceland.

Updated List of the Countries with the Most Latter-day Saints without a Stake or District

I recently updated the list of countries with the most members without a stake and I also wanted to update the list of countries with the most members without a stake or district. The 2012 list for these countries can be found here.

A district resembles a stake in that it is an administrative organization that includes congregations. However, a district can only include branches and does not have as much autonomy as a stake. For example, a mission president conducts temple recommend interviews and most priesthood matters defer to the mission president. A district is an important preparatory step toward the Church become self-sufficient in an area. Many countries currently without their own stake or district have few available local priesthood holders due to low member activity rates or recent converts with limited leadership experience comprising the bulk of nominal church membership.

Each country and territory is provided below with the number of members, number of branches, and current, if any, affiliation with another stake or district.  Countries in green appear likely to have their first districts/stakes created in the near future, countries in yellow generally have a large number of recent converts and few active priesthood holders to hold leadership positions but high likelihood to have districts organized in the coming years, countries in red have member activity issues or too few members that prevent the creation of a district in the foreseeable future, countries in blue pertain to other stakes or districts and do not appear likely to become their own districts due to reasonably close proximity to their current stake or district headquarters, and countries in dark blue have a poor likelihood of the organization of their first district due to few members spread over large geographic areas.

1. Bulgaria - 2,402 members - 9 branches
2. Macau - 1,347 members - 2 branches
3. Bahamas - 962 members - 2 branches, 1 group?
4. Lesotho - 838 members - 3 branches - part of the Bloemfontein South Africa Stake
5. Northern Mariana Islands - 779 members - 1 branch - part of the Barrigada Guam Stake
6. Namibia - 775 members - 2 branches, 1 group
7. Greece - 748 members - 4 branches, 2 groups?
8. US Virgin Islands - 585 members - 2 branches
9. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - 578 members - 2 branches, 1 group
10. Curacao - 588 members - 1 branch
11. Aruba - 507 members - 2 branches
12. Palau - 447 members - 1 branch
13. Mauritius - 442 members - 2 branches
14. Luxembourg - 358 members - 1 ward - part of the Nancy France Stake
15. French Guiana - 362 members - 1 branch, 1 group?
16. Grenada - 279 members - 1 branch
17. Turkey - 293 members - 4 branches
18. Jersey - 307 members - 1 ward - part of the Poole England Stake
19. Burundi - 300 members? - 2 branches
20. Isle of Man - 300 members - 1 ward - part of the Liverpool England Stake
21. Niue - 280 members - 2 branches
22. Iceland - 268 members - 2 branches
23. Saint Lucia - 263 members - 2 branches, 1 group?
24. Republic of Georgia - 250 members - 1 branch, 1 group
25. Laos - 245 members? - 1 branch
26. Kazakhstan - 240 members - 1 branch, 1 group
27. Slovakia - 203 members - 4 branches, 3 groups - part of the Brno Czech Republic District
28. Saint Maarten/Saint Martin - 232 members - 1 branch
29. Rwanda - 221 members - 3 branches
30. Antigua and Barbuda - 209 members - 1 branch
31. Tuvalu - 205 members, 1 branch
32. Cayman Islands - 204 members, 1 branch

Of these 32 countries and dependencies, 12 once had districts but no longer do, namely Bulgaria (2), the Bahamas, Namibia, Greece, Curacao, Aruba, Palau, Mauritius, French Guiana, Turkey, Niue, and Iceland.

Countries with the Most Latter-day Saints without a Stake or District

I recently updated the list of countries with the most members without a stake and I also wanted to update the list of countries with the most members without a stake or district.  The 2011 list for these countries can be found here.

A district resembles a stake in that it is an administrative organization that includes congregations.  However, a district can only include branches and does not have as much autonomy as a stake.  For example, a mission president conducts temple recommend interviews and most priesthood matters defer to the mission president.  A district is an important preparatory step toward the Church become self-sufficient in an area.  Many countries currently without their own stake or district have few available local priesthood holders due to low member activity rates or recent converts comprising the bulk of nominal church membership.

Each country and territory is provided with the number of members, number of branches, and current, if any, affiliation with another stake or district.  Countries in green appear likely to have their first districts/stakes created in the near future, countries in yellow generally have a large number of recent converts and few active priesthood holders to hold leadership positions but high likelihood to have districts organized in the coming years, countries in red have member activity issues that prevent the creation of a district in the foreseeable future, countries in blue pertain to other stakes or districts and do not appear likely to become their own districts due to reasonably close proximity to their current stake or district headquarters, and countries in dark blue have a poor likelihood of the organization of their first district due to few members spread over large geographic areas.

1. Bulgaria - 2,251 members - 10 branches
2. Botswana - 1,693 members - 3 wards, 5 branches, 3 groups? - some units part of Roodepoort South Africa Stake
3. Macau - 1,308 members - 2 branches
4. Bahamas - 954 members - 2 branches, 1 group?
5. Lesotho - 796 members - 2 branches, 1 group - part of the Bloemfontein South Africa District
6. Northern Mariana Islands - 753 members - 1 branch - part of the Barrigada Guam Stake
7. Greece - 740 members - 3 branches, 2 groups?
8. Benin - 676 members - 5 branches, 1 group
9. Namibia - 674 members - 2 branches
10. US Virgin Islands - 570 members - 2 branches
11. Curacao - 568 members - 1 branch
12. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - 508 members - 2 branches
13. Aruba - 506 members - 2 branches
14. Palau - 433 members - 1 branch
15. Mauritius - 418 members - 2 branches
16. Central African Republic - 406 members - 1 branch
17. French Guiana - 362 members - 1 branch, 1 group?
18. Luxembourg - 312 members - 1 ward - part of the Nancy France Stake
19. Jersey - 299 members - 1 ward - part of the Poole England Stake
20. Turkey - 293 members - 4 branches
21. Isle of Man - 291 members - 1 ward - part of the Liverpool England Stake
22. Grenada - 279 members - 1 branch
23. Niue - 275 members - 2 branches
24. Iceland - 257 members - 2 branches
25. Saint Lucia - 249 members - 2 branches
26. Saint Maarten/Saint Martin - 213 members - 1 branch
27. Saint Kitts and Nevis - 206 members - 1 branch
28. Georgia - 204 members - 1 branch
29. Slovakia - 203 members - 4 branches, 2 groups - part of the Brno Czech Republic District
30. Antigua and Barbuda - 200 members - 1 branch

Countries and territories with the most Latter-day Saints without a stake or district

A couple weeks ago I made a post providing a list of the 20 countries and territories with the most Latter-day Saints without a stake.  Each of the 20 countries and territories with the most Latter-day Saints without a stake have at least one district however.  Districts are generally comprised of three to ten branches and are like a simplified version of a stake but demand less administrative responsibilities from local leadership as mission or area presidents are responsible for these duties (such as Melchizedek Priesthood ordinations, temple recommend interviews, ect).  The formation and continued operation of a district generally signifies maturation in local church leadership, lays the foundation for a stake, provides greater administrative training opportunities for local leaders, and can better coordinate the organization of additional branches and groups.

In this post I provide a list of the 20 countries and territories with the most Latter-day Saints without a stake or district.  Nine of the 20 nations and territories listed below once had districts operating but no longer do due to insufficient numbers of active priesthood holders, low member activity rates, congregation consolidations, or changes in mission or area policy regarding the operation of districts.  Membership and congregational statistics and the assignment of individual congregations are provided.  Countries and territories in italics once had an LDS district but have had their district discontinued.  The years during which a district operated is provided for nations which once had LDS districts.  LDS membership is estimated for some nations as official 2010 LDS membership figures were unavailable or appeared to be inaccurate for some nations.

1. Botswana

• 1,800 members (2010 est.)
• 3 wards, 3 branches, 5 groups
• Roodepoort South Africa Stake and South Africa Johannesburg Mission
• Gaborone Botswana District (1992-1995)

2. Cameroon

• 1,003 members
• 5 branches, 1 group 
• Democratic Republic of Congo Kinshasa Mission

3. The Bahamas 

• 917 members
• 3 branches
• Jamaica Kingston Mission
• New Providence Bahamas District (2002-2009) 

4. Benin

• 800 members (2010 est.)
•  3 branches, 3 groups
• Benin Cotonou Mission

5. Lesotho

• 747 members
•  2 branches, 1 group
• Bloemfontein South Africa District

6. Greece 

• 735 members
•  5 branches
• Greece Athens Mission
• Athens Greece District (~1987-mid-1990s)

7. Namibia 

• 686 members
• 2 branches
• South Africa Cape Town Mission
• Windhoek Namibia District (1991-1992)

8. Macau

• 673 members
• 2 branches
• China Hong Kong Mission

9. Saipan (NMI)

• 632 members
• 1 ward
• Barrigada Guam Stake

10. U.S. Virgin Is.

• 570 members
• 2 branches
• Puerto Rico San Juan Mission

11. Curacao

• 550 members (2010 est.)
• 1 branch
• Dominican Republic Santo Domingo East Mission
• Willemstad Curacao District (2004-2009) 

12. Aruba 

• 489 members
• 2 branches
• Dominican Republic Santo Domingo East Mission
• Oranjestad Aruba District (2004-2009) 

13. Saint Vincent

• 483 members
• 2 branches
• West Indies Mission

14. Palau

• 443 members
• 1 branch
• Micronesia Guam Mission 
• Palau District (late 1980s-mid-1990s) 

15. C.A.R.

• 427 members
• 1 branch
• Democratic Republic of Congo Kinshasa Mission

16. Mauritius

• 406 members
• 2 branches
• Madagascar Antananarivo Mission

17. French Guiana

• 368 members
• 1 branch
• West Indies Mission 
• Cayenne French Guiana District (2009-2011) 

18. Luxembourg

• 296 members
• 1 ward 
• Nancy France Stake

19. Niue 

• 284 members
• 2 branches 
• New Zealand Auckland Mission
• Niue District (discontinued in 2005)

20. Turkey

• 254 members
• 4 branches 
• Bulgaria Sofia Mission and Europe East Area Branch

Of these 20 nations, Botswana is the only country which appears likely to have its first LDS stake organized instead of a district as most congregations are currently assigned to the Roodepoort South Africa Stake.  The LDS Church appears most likely to organize a district in Cameroon, Benin, and Lesotho among the remaining 19 nations list above.  The operation of at least three branches within a close proximity of each other will be required for districts to be organized in additional nations listed above.