The Top Nine Countries with the Most Stakes with Only One Temple

Overview 

The following list highlights the nine countries with the most Latter-day Saint stakes that currently have only one temple—either dedicated or announced. Stakes are among the most reliable predictors of temple announcements, as they reflect sufficient membership, activity, and leadership to sustain both stake and temple operations. In recent years, due to the Church’s rapid pace of temple construction, all countries with at least 24 stakes now have multiple temples announced or dedicated. This is not a traditional “Top 10” list, as four additional countries or territories (American Samoa, Haiti, Puerto Rico, and Switzerland) each have five stakes and one temple. Including them would extend the list to 13 entries, so this post focuses on the nine countries with the highest stake counts under that threshold. Countries with the Most Stakes and Only One Temple (Dedicated or Announced)

Country	Stakes	Districts	Notes
Côte d’Ivoire	23	8	Most likely to receive a second temple; Yamoussoukro or western Abidjan are likely candidates
Nicaragua	12	4	Low growth in recent years may delay second temple; nearly all stakes are in Managua
Paraguay	11	9	Stakes are concentrated in Asunción
Sierra Leone	11	3	Bo, with 4 stakes, is a strong candidate for a future temple
Zimbabwe	11	2	Bulawayo (3 stakes) is the top prospect for a second temple
Costa Rica	10	1	Nearly all stakes are in San José
France	10	0	Southern France (e.g., Toulouse) could be considered for a future temple
Panama	7	4	Slow growth; second temple unlikely soon as nearly all stakes are in Panama City
Liberia	7	2	Likely remains a one-temple country for the near future, as all stakes are in Monrovia

Outlook 

Among these, Côte d'Ivoire is by far the most promising candidate for a second temple due to its high number of stakes and geographic spread. Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe follow, based on stake density outside the capital. France also presents a realistic medium-term possibility, while other nations may require more growth and geographic diversification to warrant an additional temple.

List of Countries with the Most Latter-day Saints with One Temple

Below is a list of countries with the most members with only one temple planned or dedicated:

1. Dominican Republic

• 149,655 members
• 22 stakes, 9 districts
• 203 congregations (146 wards, 57 branches)
• Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple (dedicated in 2000)
  

2. El Salvador

• 129,963 members
• 22 stakes
• 155 congregations (127 wards, 28 branches)
• San Salvador El Salvador Temple (dedicated in 2011)
  

3.  Uruguay

• 108,060 members
• 18 stakes, 2 districts
  
• 130 congregations (97 wards, 33 branches)
• Montevideo Uruguay Temple (dedicated in 2001)
  

4.  Nicaragua

• 101,907 members
• 12 stakes, 4 districts
• 109 congregations (71 wards, 38 branches)
• Managua Nicaragua Temple (under construction, announced in 2018)
  

5.  Paraguay

• 100,121 members
• 11 stakes, 9 districts
• 133 congregations (62 wards, 71 branches)
• Asunción Paraguay Temple (dedicated in 2002)
  

6. Cote d'Ivoire

• 63,058 members
• 20 stakes, 12 districts
  
• 262 congregations (154 wards, 108 branches)
• Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple (under construction, announced in 2015)
  

7.  Panama

• 61,980 members
• 7 stakes, 4 districts
• 75 congregations (43 wards, 32 branches)
• Panama City Panama Temple (dedicated in 2008)
  

8.  Costa Rica

• 54,473 members
• 10 stakes, 1 district
• 80 congregations (60 wards, 20 branches)
• San José Costa Rica Temple (dedicated in 2000)
  

9.  Portugal

• 47,916 members
• 7 stakes, 1 district
• 62 congregations (41 wards, 21 branches)
• Lisbon Portugal Temple (dedicated in 2019)
  

 10.  Zimbabwe

• 41,262 members
• 9 stakes, 1 district
• 100 congregations (63 wards, 37 branches)
• Harare Zimbabwe Temple (under construction, announced in 2016)
  

Some observations about this list.

First, several of these countries appear highly likely to have a second temple announced in the immediate future, including the Dominican Republic (Santiago), El Salvador (Santa Ana), and Cote d'Ivoire (Yamoussoukro). However, most other countries do not appear likely to have a second temple announced for the foreseeable future due to low member activity rates and membership and stakes clustered in the city where a temple already operates, such as in Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. Nevertheless, Zimbabwe (Bulawayo), Portugal (Porto), and Uruguay (a city in central or northern Uruguay) are countries with a moderate likelihood of a second temple announcement.

Second, there are major discrepancies in member activity rates among this list of countries with the most members with only one temple, although most of these countries have very low member activity rates. This is well illustrated by significant differences in the number of stakes and congregations between countries with similarly-sized memberships. For example, the Church in Cote d'Ivoire has 63,058 members organized into 262 congregations, 20 stakes, and 12 districts, whereas the Church in Panama has 61,980 members organized into 75 congregations, 7 stakes, and 4 districts. Countries with higher activity rates are more likely to have a second temple announced before countries with a lower member activity rate. 

Third, the top 10 countries with the most members with only one temple tended to have their first temple dedicated either in the early 2000s or announced/dedicated in the late 2010s. This has correlated with periods of an increase in temple construction.

Fourth, most of these countries (seven) are located in Latin America.

New Stakes in Hawaii, Italy, New York, North Dakota, Texas, and Utah; Districts Discontinued in Chile, Italy, Panama, and the Philippines

I have gotten a bit behind providing updates on stakes and districts being created and discontinued. Here's an overview of some recent activity over the past month or so.

Hawaii
On May 4th, the Church created a new stake in Hawaii - marking the first time a non-student/YSA stake has been created in the state since 1996. Based on Maui, the Kahului Hawaii West Stake was created from a division of the Kahului Hawaii Stake (originally organized in 1975) and includes the following six wards:
the Hoolehua, Kahului, Kaunakakai, Lahaina 1st, Lahaina 2nd (Tongan), and Wailuku Wards. There are now 16 stakes in Hawaii.

Italy
On May 11th, the Church created a new stake from the Florence Italy and Rimini Italy Districts. The Florence Italy stake includes the following five wards and seven branches: the Firenze, Livorno, Pisa, Prato, and Rimini Wards, and the Ancona, Forli', La Spezia, Montevarchi, Pesaro, Ravenna, and Siena Branches. The Rimini Italy District was discontinued as a result of the formation of the new stake. There are now 10 stakes and one district in Italy.

New York
On April 13th, the Church organized the Lynbrook New York Stake from the Lynbrook New York District and a portion of the Queens (now Woodside) New York Stake. The new stake includes the following six wards and three branches: the Flushing 2nd, Freeport, Jamaica 1st, Jamaica 2nd (Spanish), Little Neck, and Lynbrook Wards, and the Flushing 1st (Spanish), Flushing 3rd (Korean), and Mineola (Spanish) Branches. There are now 16 stakes and one district in New York

North Dakota
On May 4th, the Church created its third stake in North Dakota from a division of the Bismarck North Dakota Stake. The Minot North Dakota Stake includes the following five wards and three branches: the Minot 1st, Minot 2nd, Minot 3rd, Williston 1st, and Williston 2nd Wards, and the New Town, Rugby, and Stanley Branches. The last stake to be organized in North Dakota was the Bismarck North Dakota Stake in 1996. Church membership in the original Bismarck North Dakota Stake has doubled within the past three years due to members moving to the area for the booming oil industry.

Texas
On May 4th, the Church created a new stake in Texas from a division of the Frisco Texas Stake. The Frisco Texas Shawnee Trail Stake includes the following seven wards: the Aubrey, Cross Roads, Frisco 2nd, Little Elm, Prosper 1st, Prosper 2nd, and Prosper 3rd Wards. There are now 61 stakes and three districts in Texas.

Utah
On April 20th, the Church created a new stake from dividing the Bluffdale Utah Stake. The Bluffdale Utah South Stake includes the following eight wards: the Bluffdale 1st, Bluffdale 5th, Bluffdale 8th, Bluffdale 9th, Bluffdale 10th, Bluffdale 13th, Bluffdale 14th, and Bluffdale 15th Wards. There are now 570 stakes and one district in Utah.

Chile
The Church recently discontinued the Melipilla Chile District and closed one of the four branches that previously pertained to the district. The three retained branches now pertain to the Talagante Chile District, which missionaries have reported for several years has been diligently striving to become a stake within the near future. However, member activity and convert retention problems remain extremely severe, as evidenced by the Church once operating separate stakes in Melipilla and Talagante and the failure of missionary and church growth efforts to reestablish a single stake in the area. There are now 74 stakes and 22 districts in Chile.

Panama
The Church recently discontinued the Alcalde Diaz Panama District and reassigned branches to the San Miguelito Panama Stake. The Church appeared to try to have the district become a stake as it is located in the Panama metropolitan area and had five branches. Panama also experiences catastrophically low member activity rates and has had nearly half of its LDS congregations closed over the past 15 years. There are now seven stakes and four districts in Panama.

Philippines
The Church recently discontinued the Mapandan Philippines District and reassigned its branches to the Mangaldan Philippines District. Only three branches pertained to the former district, which was created as a result of the discontinuation of the original Mangaldan Philippines Stake in 2003. The Mangaldan Philippines District now has seven branches. There are now 88 stakes and 82 districts in the Philippines

Stake Discontinued in Panama

For the first time a stake has been discontinued in Panama.  Organized in 1998, the San Isidro Panamá Stake consisted of five wards and one branch and was consolidated with the neighboring San Miguelito Panamá Stake which had only four wards.  Congregation consolidations have occurred regularly throughout Panama and recently have occurred in the Panama City area.  The LDS Church reached a high of 112 congregations in 2001 and today there are 73 congregations nationwide; a decrease of 39 units in only a decade.  Low member activity and convert retention rates appear primarily to blame for this major contraction in LDS outreach and congregations.  Additional stakes may be consolidated if additional wards and branches are closed.  There are now seven stakes and five districts in Panama.

Districts Dissolved in Colombia and Panama

The Pitalito Colombia and Puerto Armuelles Panama Districts were recently dissolved. The district in Pitalito, Colombia had four branches in it back in 2001 and the district in Puerto Armuelles, Panama had three branches back in 2002. It is likely that both districts were absorbed into other districts in the surrounding area. The growth of the Church has slowed substantially in both locations. A stake was dissolved in Cali, Colombia earlier this year. In Panama, we have seen many branches being combined, especially in the western half of the country. Baptisms in Panama did increase during 2007 compared to the last several years. Colombia is experiencing growth in the north part of the country, and the district in Santa Marta put in paperwork to Church Headquarters for becoming a stake, hopefully before the end of the year. As for potential stakes in Panama, the Alcade Diaz Panama District would seem as the most likely since it comprises many branches outside Panama City.

Likely New Stakes in Central America: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama

Here are some likely new stakes to be created in Central America. Districts likely to mature into stakes are written in italics and stakes likely to split are in standard font. Plus signs indicate possible districts combining to form a new stake. I also give a short summary of the status of the Church in these countries as well. These predictions are made to the best of my knowledge and are not guaranteed to happen. If you have any questions or comments, please provide feedback. Lastly, the number of current branches in districts is provided to the best of my knowledge.

PANAMA: Most stakes are small with only around five to seven wards. Some districts close to stakehood.

• Alcalde Diaz - 8
• San Blas - 7
• Concepcion + Puerto Armuelles - 7

COSTA RICA: One of the highest ward to stake ratios in the world - 44 wards in five stakes, or about nine to one. Districts are small and unlikely to grow into stakes in the near future.

• Alajuela
• San Jose

NICARAGUA: Seven out of Nicaragua's eight stakes have been created since 2000, all of which were districts maturing into stakes. Like Panama, most stakes have five to seven wards. Most districts have few branches.

• Chinandega
• Granada - 5
• Managua Tipitapa (4)+ portion of a stake in Managua

EL SALVADOR: Almost entirely covered by stakes; most have six to eight wards.

• Usulutan - 6