Two Kinds Of Growth: Worldwide LDS Membership Growth Over 14 Years

Abstract

Bass compares LDS membership growth against congregational growth from 2011–2025 to distinguish genuine expansion from membership accumulation without congregational footprint. Africa is the standout for genuine growth; Latin America gains members but loses congregations; Europe declines on both measures.

Findings for Latter-day Saints

• Africa was 6% of global LDS population in 2025 but accounted for 20% of global growth over 14 years.
• Africa added 2,000+ congregations — roughly double the congregational growth of any other region.
• North America holds 40% of the global LDS population but only ~37% of missionaries; Africa has 6% of members and 12% of missionaries.
• Central and South America grew in members but lost congregations during the study period.
• Europe had among the lowest growth and lost more than 10% of its congregations.

Limitations in methodology

Substack blog analysis; official membership records vary in reliability across countries; congregational counts depend on Church organizational decisions, not raw demographics.

Related studies

• 2026DemographicsMissionary Work

  April 2026 General Conference Stats: Record Baptisms, But the Birth Problem Persists

  Alex Bass

• 2026DemographicsMembership

  The United States Is Declining In Official LDS Membership For The First Time. Why?

  Alex Bass

Cite this study

Bass, A. (2026). Two Kinds Of Growth: Worldwide LDS Membership Growth Over 14 Years. Mormon Metrics (Substack). https://mormonmetrics.com/p/two-kinds-of-growth-the-story-of

Alex Bass. "Two Kinds Of Growth: Worldwide LDS Membership Growth Over 14 Years." Mormon Metrics (Substack), 2026. https://mormonmetrics.com/p/two-kinds-of-growth-the-story-of.

@article{bass_2026_two_kinds_of_growth_worldwide,
  title = {Two Kinds Of Growth: Worldwide LDS Membership Growth Over 14 Years},
  author = {Alex Bass},
  year = {2026},
  journal = {Mormon Metrics (Substack)},
  url = {https://mormonmetrics.com/p/two-kinds-of-growth-the-story-of},
}