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 Created in Bolivia (2), Tonga (2), Brazil, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, El Salvador, Nevada, Paraguay, Sierra Leone; Stake Discontinued in Colorado

Bolivia
The Church organized two new stakes in Bolivia on November 12th in the city of Cochabamba.

The Cochabamba Bolivia Aeropuerto Stake was organized from the Cochabamba Bolivia Cobija Stake (renamed the Cochabamba Bolivia Sarco Stake) and the Cochabamba Bolivia Jaihuayco Stake (renamed the Cochabamba Bolivia Alalay Stake). The new stake includes the following five wards: the Cobija, Jaihuayco, La Chimba, Lindo, and Villa México Wards.

The Cochabamba Bolivia Blanco Galindo Stake was organized from the Cochabamba Bolivia Quillacollo Stake (renamed the Cochabamba Bolivia Los Alamos Stake) and the Cochabamba Bolivia Cobija Stake (renamed the Cochabamba Bolivia Sarco Stake). The new stake includes the following five wards: the Colcapirhua, Ingavi, Jardin, La Floresta, and Los Alamos Wards.

There are now seven stakes in Cochabamba, and 32 stakes and eight districts in Bolivia.

Tonga
The Church organized two new stakes in Tonga.

The Nuku'alofa Tonga Capital Stake was organized on November 19th from a division of the Nuku'alofa Tonga Harbour Stake and the Nuku'alofa Tonga North Stake. The new stake includes the following five wards: the Kolomotu'a, Longolongo, Nuku'alofa 5th, Nuku'alofa 7th, and Nuku'alofa 14th Wards.

The Neiafu Vava'u Tonga Central Stake was organized on November 26th from a division of the Neiafu Vava'u Tonga Stake, Neiafu Vava'u Tonga North Stake, and the Neiafu Vava'u Tonga West Stake. The new stake includes the following six wards and one branch: the Feletoa, Leimatu'a 1st, Leimatu'a 2nd, Mataika, Neiafu 3rd, and Neiafu 5th Wards, and the Houma Branch.

There are now 21 stakes and two districts in Tonga.

Brazil
The Church organized a new stake in Parana State, Brazil on November 26th. The Foz do Iguaçu Brazil Stake was organized from a division of the Cascavel Brazil Stake. The new stake includes the following five wards and one branch: the Cataratas, Foz do Iguaçu, Itaipu, Portal de Foz, and Porto Meira Wards, and the Medianeira Branch.

There are now 21 stakes and two districts in Parana State. There are now 268 stakes and 40 districts in Brazil.

Costa Rica
The Church organized its eighth stake in the San Jose metropolitan area on November 19th. The Heredia Costa Rica Belén Stake was organized from a division of the Alajuela Costa Rica Stake and the Heredia Costa Rica Stake. The new stake includes the following five wards and one branch: the Belén, El Tejar, Flores, La Ribera, and Ojo de Agua Wards, and the Santa Barbara Branch.

There are now 10 stakes and two districts in Costa Rica.

Cote d'Ivoire
The Church organized a new stake in Abidjan on December 3rd. The Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire Niangon Centre Stake was organized from a division of the Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire Niangon North Stake and the Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire Niangon South Stake. It is unclear what wards are assigned to the new stake. There were 25 wards in the two original stakes prior to the creation of the new stake. The Church has experienced rapid growth in the Yopougon sector of Abidjan as new stakes have been organized in this area of the city in 1997, 2010, 2014, and 2015. Furthermore, the 20th anniversary of the creation of the first stake in Abidjan was recently held.

There are now 12 stakes in the Abidjan metropolitan area. There are more stakes in the Abidjan metropolitan area than in any other metropolitan area on the continental landmass of Africa, Asia, and Europe.

El Salvador
A new stake was created in western El Salvador on November 19th. The Ahuachapán El Salvador El Espino Stake was organized from a division of the Ahuachapán El Salvador Stake and the Atiquizaya El Salvador Stake. The new stake includes the following six wards: the Campestre, El Arco, El Espino, Las Brisas, Las Rosas, and Suncuan Wards.

There are now 21 stakes in El Salvador.

Nevada
The Church organized a new stake in Las Vegas on December 3rd. The Las Vegas Nevada Desert Foothills Stake was organized from a division of the Las Vegas Nevada Meadows Stake and the Las Vegas Nevada Redrock Stake. The new stake includes the following six wards: the Amber Hills, Carl, Cimarron, Hillpointe, Paseos, and Pueblo Wards.

There are now 27 stakes in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. There are now 42 stakes in Nevada.

Paraguay
The Church organized a new stake in Paraguay on November 19th. The Limpio Paraguay Stake was organized from the Mariano Roque Alonso Paraguay District and the Luque Paraguay Stake. The new stake includes the following six wards and four branches: the Huguito, Juan de Salazar, Limpio, Mariano Roque Alonso, Piquete Cue, and Salado Wards, and the Benjamin Aceval, Emboscada, Remansito, and Villa Hayes Branches.

There are now 11 stakes and nine districts in Paraguay.

Sierra Leone
The Church organized a new stake in Freetown on December 3rd. The Freetown Sierra Leone East Stake was created from a division of the Freetown Sierra Leone Stake, marking the first time the Church in Sierra Leone has organized a new stake from the division of a previously operating stake. Organized as the Church's 3,000th stake and the first stake in Sierra Leone back in December 2012, the Freetown Sierra Leone Stake had 11 wards and three branches prior to the division of the stake. Information on which congregations are assigned to the new stake remains unavailable. Never has the Church ever grown in a country from one stake to five stakes as quickly as in Sierra Leone. Four of the five stakes in the country were organized in 2017. Additional new stakes in Sierra Leone appear likely to be organized in the new future based upon missionary reports.

There are now five stakes and four districts in Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone Freetown Mission appears highly likely to divide in the immediate future to create a second mission in the country with headquarters likely in Bo. Also, there has been a net increase of 335 stakes worldwide within the past five years since the creation of the original Freetown Sierra Leone Stake.

Colorado
The Church recently discontinued the Golden Colorado Stake. With only four wards, the stake was combined with the former Lakewood Colorado Stake (renamed the Front Range Colorado Stake). The Church has discontinued multiple wards within the Golden, Colorado area over the past 15 years primarily due to members moving away from the area. Furthermore, the Golden Colorado Stake was recently reduced in size with the reassignment of the Buena Vista Branch to the Alamosa Colorado Stake, the Granby Branch to the newly created Craig Colorado Stake, and the Frisco Ward and Vail Ward to the Rifle Colorado Stake. This marks the first time in LDS history that a stake has ever been discontinued in Colorado. It appears likely that one more stake may be discontinued in the Denver area within the foreseeable future due to members moving away from older areas of the city.

There are now 35 stakes in Colorado.

District Discontinued in Paraguay

The Church recently discontinued a district in Paraguay.  Originally organized in 1988, the Caaguazú Paraguay District was consolidated with the neighboring Coronel Oviedo Paraguay District.  Two branches were closed as part of the consolidation of the two districts, namely the Coronel Oviedo 3rd and Coronel Oviedo 4th Branches.  Missionaries currently serving in effected branches report that this consolidation was motivated by mission leaders preparing for a stake in the near future.  The realigned Coronel Oviedo Paraguay District now contains eight branches.

The discontinuation of the Caaguazú Paraguay District marks the first district closure for 2013.  The Church has experienced highly concerning convert retention and member activity problems within the past few years as church membership has increased by 10,000 but the number of wards and branches has remained unchanged.

There are now 10 stakes and 10 districts in Paraguay.

Church Growth News

New Stake in Honduras

Missionaries serving in Tegucigalpa, Honduras report that one of the stakes in the city will divide to create a new stake in early November. I will provide more specifics once they become a available. The creation of new stake in Honduras is a major development as there have been no new stakes created in Honduras since 1997. Unlike many Latin American nations, Honduras has never had a stake discontinued however. Once the new stake is organized, there will be 21 stakes. No additional stakes appear close to dividing, but several stakes have gained additional congregations in the past couple years and may divide in the foreseeable future, such as the Fesitranh Honduras and San Pedro Honduras El Progreso Stakes.

Cities Open for Missionary Work In Paraguay

Full-time missionaries serving in both Paraguay missions report that several cities have opened to missionary work and new LDS groups have been organized. Some of the cities recently opened for missionary work include Katuete, Curuguaty, and Tobati. Strong nominal membership growth continues, but little to no increase in the number of congregations year to year likely indicate major convert retention issues.

The Church in Gabon

In a recent Mormon Channel interview with the past mission president of the Democratic Republic of Congo Mission, specifics on the Church in Gabon were discussed. The Church is not officially recognized in the country, resulting in no reported LDS presence. There do not appear to be any legal restrictions preventing a Church establishment however. There are 10-12 members living in the country who meet in humble circumstances for LDS services in Libreville.

New District in Brazil

A Brazilian member reported that a new district was created in Porto Seguro Brazil. I will provide additional information on the new district once it becomes available.

Book of Mormon Translated Into Guarani In Full

According to www.ldscatalog.com, the Book of Mormon was recently translated in full in Guarani. Until now only selections of the Book of Mormon were translated into Guarani, which is an official language in Paraguay along with Spanish. Estimates of the number of Guarani speakers are put at around seven million.

The Church has grown rapidly in Paraguay for the past several years with membership climbing from 47,850 at the end of 2000 to 74,802 at the end of 2008. Congregations increased by 26 during this time period and for the past couple years we have seen very few new congregations created in Paraguay. Hopefully this indicates that many new congregations will be created in the coming year or two, especially considering that the most rapid growth in membership occurred very recently in 2006 and 2007.

New Congregations in the Dominican Republic and Paraguay

Several new branches have been created lately in the Dominican Republic and Paraguay. In the Dominican Republic, the cities of Constanza and Bayaguana received their first branches (and missionaries in Constanza and probably Bayaguana too). In Paraguay, branches and wards continue to be organized mostly around the capital city of Asuncion.