I have updated the list of the countries with the
most
members
without a temple using year-end 2019 membership totals as the Church did not release country-by-country year-end 2020 membership data due to the interference of the COVID-19 pandemic on the accuracy of country-by-country Church membership data. Temples
that service stakes, districts, and mission branches in each country are
identified. Previous lists are also available for November 2020, April 2020, April 2019, October 2018, April 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, mid-2011, late 2008, and late 2007.
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
two years with data available. Countries in Italics do not have a stake. It is very unusual for the Church to announce a temple in a country where there are no stakes, but there are multiple instances of this occurring (i.e., the Kyiv Ukraine Temple, the Bern Switzerland Temple, the Shanghai China Temple). Based on year-end 2019 membership data, the average country in the current top 10 countries with the most members without a temple had 8,880 members. Given this very low average, approximately half of the countries in the current top 10 list appear likely to have small temples announced in the foreseeable future, such as Uganda, Mongolia, the Republic of the Congo, Indonesia, the Marshall Islands, and Jamaica.
The Church has made significant progress during the past 15 years with bringing temples closer to members who live in countries with the most members without temples. To put the current list into perspective, nine of the 10 countries with the most members without a temple in late 2007 (the first list I made on this blog) had more members of the Church than all but one of the countries on the current list of the countries with the most members without a temple. Per year-end 2006 membership data, the average country among the top 10 countries with the most members without a temple had 25,365 members.
It is also important to note that the Church announcing temples in locations with few members is not a new trend. For example, the 10 countries with the most members without a temple as of year-end 1985 included:
- Uruguay (40,700 members)
- Bolivia (35,600 members)
- Venezuela (24,000 members)
- Honduras (18,600 members)
- France (16,500 members)
- El Salvador (15,100 members)
- Hong Kong (12,200 members)
- Italy (12,000 members)
- Spain (11,600 members)
- Dominican Republic (9,300 members)
The average country among the top 10 countries with the most members without a temple in 1985 had 19,560 members. Also, there were a number of countries with temples announced or dedicated in 1985 that had relatively few members such as South Africa (13,100), Taiwan (11,600), French Polynesia (9,800), Sweden (6,800), and Switzerland (5,600). Nevertheless, the Church has clearly entered a robust and solid trend in announcing small temples in countries with relatively few members, especially if these countries are in areas far from the nearest temple. Furthermore, the Church in the past five years has also announced temples in countries or territories where there have never been so few members and had a temple announced. More specifically, the United Arab Emirates had only 1,699 members as of year-end 2019 - slightly fewer members of the Church than the Church in Switzerland in 1952 when the Bern Switzerland Temple was announced - a few months prior to the announcement of the Dubai United Arab of Emirates Temple in April 2020.
1. Uganda
- 17,887 members
- 3 stakes, 3 districts
- 37 congregations (18 wards, 19 branches)
- Johannesburg South Africa Temple (Nairobi Kenya Temple under construction)
2. Mongolia
- 12,261 members
- 2 stakes, 1 district
- 23 congregations (12 wards, 11 branches)
- Hong Kong China Temple (Shanghai China Temple announced)
3.
Malaysia
- 10,845 members
- 0 stakes, 5 districts
- 28 congregations (28 branches)
- Hong Kong China Temple (Singapore Republic of Singapore Temple announced)
4
. Republic of the Congo
- 8,542 members
- 4 stakes, 0 districts
- 31 congregations (23 wards, 8 branches)
- Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple
5. Indonesia
- 7,561 members
- 2 stakes, 1 district
- 24 congregations (16 wards, 8 branches)
- Hong Kong China Temple (Singapore Republic of Singapore Temple announced)
6. Marshall Islands
- 6,976 members
- 2 stakes
- 13 congregations (12 wards, 1 branch)
- Suva Fiji Temple (Tarawa Kiribati Temple announced)
7. Jamaica
- 6,668 members
- 1 stake, 1 district
- 18 congregations (6 wards, 12 branches)
- Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple
8. Federated States of Micronesia
- 6,307 members
- 1 stake, 2 districts
- 22 congregations (5 wards, 17 branches)
- Cebu City Philippines Temple (Yigo Guam Temple scheduled for dedication)
9. Guyana
- 6,264 members
- 0 stakes, 2 districts
- 11 congregations (11 branches)
- Caracas Venezuela Temple
10. Belize
- 5,485 members
- 2 districts
- 12 congregations (12 branches)
- Guatemala City Guatemala Temple (Coban Guatemala Temple announced)
