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How many Mormons are in Georgia?

Webmaster: As of 2006, 65,350 Mormons lived in Georgia (one in every 135 Georgians). At that time there were 130 Mormon congregations in the state.

Comment by Anonymous — 10-8-2007, 04:14:23 PM
I am investigating joining the church, I'm currently in Sligo Ireland and was wondering how many LDS memebers are the in Sligo and Ireland. Thanks a mil.

Webmaster: Hope you're enjoying the Church so far, friend. In 2006, there were 2,664 members of the Church in Ireland, including inactive members. I have no way of knowing how many members live in Sligo specifically, though there is a branch of the Church in that city, suggesting there are at least some members. If you need information re. meeting times and locations, let me know!

Comment by Erika — 10-13-2008, 11:19:18 AM
Any idea how many of those are actively practicing this faith? Or is that the actual number you are showing? Thanks!

Webmaster: Hi friend. Your question is complicated, as definitions vary depending on what is meant by "practicing." I would guess that, worldwide, there are about 6.5 million Mormons who go to Church every Sunday. Many who go less frequently still consider themselves Mormon, however, and may still "practice" many of the principles of the religion. There are 13 million people who have been baptized as Mormons. That's the figure listed on my site. Hope this helps!

Comment by Anonymous — 11-23-2008, 11:27:18 PM
Hello. I am writing a paper and I am wondering how many members live in the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Sonora, Baja California, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Nuevo Leon, Durango, Sinaloa, and Tamaulipas

El Santo Gringo: Hi Keaton. Unfortunately, I don't have information about specific Mexican states. Some of the Spanish-speaking visitors to my site have asked this same question, so if you find the answer, I'd be very interested in learning myself! I can tell you that as of 2006, there were 980,053 members in Mexico (including inactive members), 199 stakes, 1,375 wards, 495 branches, 20 missions, 40 districts, and 12 temples. Aproximately 0.9% of the Mexican populataion is Mormon.

Comment by Keaton — 9-27-2010, 10:37:05 AM
Hi so what is the exact number of members in the whole world?

El Santo Gringo: Hi friend. It depends on who you consider to be a "Mormon." By my fairly liberal definition, there are currently over 13 million Mormons.

Comment by Anonymous — 10-16-2010, 02:34:50 PM
According to the church newsroom at lds.org, at the end of 2009 there were 13,824,854 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints worldwide. If one counts anyone else who believes that Joseph Smith was a prophet and/or that the Book of Mormon is scripture, there are about 200 000 to 275 000 other people in the world from various offshoots of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who could be counted as mormons, but not latter day saints.

Comment by Pamela Dean Bonta — 10-17-2010, 10:22:12 AM
Hi. I'm in year 8 and I am doing an assignment. And I have chosen to do the mormons. Do you have anything about mormons in Australia.

El Santo Gringo: Hi friend. As of 2006, there were 108,851 Mormons in Australia. They worshiped in 280 congregations (187 wards and 93 branches). Hope this information helps you! Good luck with your report.

Comment by Anonymous — 10-23-2010, 10:55:17 PM
How many mormons live in illinois? What percent of the people in illinois are mormons?

El Santo Gringo: Hi friend. As of 2004 (sorry my information is so out of date), there were 52,500 Mormons in Illinois in 12 stakes, 89 wards, and 40 branches. At the time, that was about 0.4% of the population. Hope this information helps.

Comment by Anonymous — 10-28-2010, 08:24:58 PM
How many stakes are there currently worldwide?

El Santo Gringo: As of 2007, there were 2,745 stakes worldwide.

Comment by Anonymous — 10-29-2010, 07:54:38 PM
How many members live in Indiana? How many members live in Connecticut? How many members live in Portugal?

El Santo Gringo: Hi friend. At the end of 2004, Indiana had 38,351 Mormons, Connecticut had 13,922 Mormons, and Portugal had 37,484 Mormons.

Comment by Lindsay — 11-18-2010, 01:10:10 PM
Haha! You think that Mormons are as numerous as Muslims. Take a lot at the stats again because Muslims rival Mormons several times over.

El Santo Gringo: You are right that I was mistaken in thinking that the number of Mormon and Muslims in the US are roughly the same. A recent survey indicated that in fact there are three times as many Mormons in the U.S. as Muslims, 0.6% vs. 1.7%. Perhaps it is you that should "take a lot [sic] at the stats again." :)

Comment by Anonymous — 11-18-2010, 06:28:57 PM
My grade 12s are doing a project on Mormonism next year. How many are there in South Africa? I visited the temple on Killarney Ridge in Johannesburg before it was consecrated [mid-eighties], and the statistic given us then was that the numbers were just over 100 000, that this was the number required in order to build a temple in a country. We also visited the centre in Florida. Would you mind also e-mailing this statistic to me for the sake of my pupils? Many thankks, Phillip Vietri

El Santo Gringo: Hi Philip. Thanks for your email. I wish our students here in the U.S. were taught the kind of cultural competence that is apparently taught in South African schools. Our children are not taught about the religious beliefs of other groups in school, as so they tend to have a rather myopic view of the world. It's a great tragedy, in my opinion. I'd be very surprised if there were over 100 000 Mormons in South Africa in the mid eighties. According to the 2006 Church Almanac, there were 40,482 Mormons in South Africa at the end of 2004. Worldwide, the LDS Church has doubled in size since the mid eighties. I'm guessing growth in South Africa has been higher than in places like Europe. Could it be that the numbers were just over 10 000 in the mid eighties?

Comment by Phillip Vietri — 11-19-2010, 06:11:23 AM
Hello webmaster, Just read Phillip Vietri's comments. You may interested in knowing that where I live in Newfoundland, Canada, religious education is still taught. One of the guiding principles is the following statement:

Because religion plays significant roles in history and society, study about religion is essential to understanding both the nation and the world. Omission of facts about religion can give students the false impression that the religious life of humankind is insignificant or unimportant. Failure to understand even the basic symbols, practices, and concepts of the various religions makes much of history, literature, art, and contemporary life unintelligible. (Warren A. Nord, Charles C. Haynes, Taking Religion Seriously Across the Curriculum. Alexandria, va: ascd, 1998, p. 36.)

This year I am teaching grade 3 religion, for example, and some of the topics include Islam, Buddhism, the United Church of Canada, Christianity in general, Sikhism, Ba'hai, and the Jewish faith. You can find more information here.

El Santo Gringo: Very interesting, Pamela, especially since here in the U.S. the desire to talk about religion in schools would generally be seen as a "conservative" position, and Canada is generally seen as being politically left of the United States (whether right or wrong who knows). For the record, religious education is also common in public schools in Brazil where I served my mission. It's a little bit concerning to me, frankly, that a country as militarily and politically powerful as the United States should be composed of people who are so generally uneducated about the cultural beliefs and practices of others. I think it's fantastic that you're teaching your 3rd graders about religions like Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, etc.

By the way, I just noticed your new blog! I'm very happy to see you start this project! The answers you post on my site are always so well reasoned. Keep up the great work! :)

Comment by Pamela Dean Bonta — 11-21-2010, 06:13:38 AM
Thanks for your prompt reply, and also for your kind remarks about our education system. We have a universal subject called life orientation, which is taught from grade 1 to 12. We are, I think, one of a few truly multicultural countries where no one population group has a majority - the largest would be about 21% of the population. The biggest 5 are zulu, xhosa, sotho, afrikaans-speakers [my group] and english-speakers, each ranging from 21% down to 11%.

We are also an intensely religious society, like most sub-Saharan African countries, about 80% Christian, but with worshipping adherents of religions reaching, according to some statistics, over 90%. Our constitution is, by its own definition, a co-operative secular state. The government takes religion seriously and consults frequently - as they put it, religion is the prime motivating factor is the lives of the overwhelming majority of South Africans. We allow religions to be practised in public schools [though no one may be practised exclusively], and our bill of rights enshrines the right to hold religious services in public buildings. There exist private church schools which practise a single religion.

The government thus wants there to be an awareness of cultural diversity, which includes religion, and learning to know the variety of religions in South Africa, and growth in cultural tolerance and understanding, is one of their ways of ensuring a peaceful, non-racial and democratic society.

We also have an academic subject called religion studies, which I teach, which is really comparative religion. It is this subject which is the context of my enquiry. One of the grade 12 [final-year] modules is an intensive study of a single religion under a series of prescribed categories. Next year I have a particularly bright class in grade 12. When they did an interview assignment recently, one of the boys made a study of how the LDS church deals with the onslaught of the negative content with which we are all bombarded over the public media today. It aroused an interest in the LDS church [is this the correct term? ], which led to a request that it become the religion of choice next year.

There is a second factor, which involves my interest. When I was studying in the mid-1980s, I followed the news of the strange documents unearthed by mark hofmann, such as the infamous "salamander letter. " the three bomb blasts in salt lake city that came at the end of this episode were all over the news here. I never followed the issue through to the end until some years later, when I read robert lindseys a gathering of saints. The book, for me at any rate, was a really interesting glimpse into the LDS church, and as I read it, a rather sympathetic presentation. I can remember feeling a sense of outrage at what hofmann had put the LDS church through, of the terrible crises of conscience his forgeries must have engendered. I read it not too long after we had visited the Johannesburg temple, and it certainly re-emphasised what we had experienced during our visit; of an industrious, clean-living, God-fearing community.

The same fellow who was doing the assignment on mormons came into my classroom reading precisely that book one morning! He had discovered it on e-bay and ordered it from north america. It turned into quite an intense discussion, which piqued the interest of all in the class, and thus the 2011 module took shape.

I think you are right, that the LDS community in South Africa in the '80s was about 10 000 strong, and that my memory is at fault. I know that the LDS church had reached the critical population threshhold that made it possible for a temple to be built in South Africa. Is this perhaps 10 000? As I remember, the first president under whom it was authorised was spencer w. Kimball. Your estimate sounds as though it is right - which would make the present population about 100 000. This would easily qualify it as a permissible "Major South African religion" For us to study. So it's all systems go for next year.

At the moment we are busy with final exams, so it's a riot here, but after 3rd December, when the we are closed for the year and all on holiday, I shall return and explore your very interesting website more thoroughly. I am hoping to spend a sabbatical in the US in 2013 [probably in Seattle], but am most certainly planning a visit to Salt Lake City on the way across from New York, and really looking forward to it.

El Santo Gringo: Hi Phillip. It was very interesting to hear how things are done in South Africa. Here in the U.S. we also live in a very religious and very pluralistic society. Studies consistently show that about 90% of Americans believe in God or in a universal spirit. Aside from countless Christian denominations, there are also sizable Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, and Buddhist populations in the U.S. Unfortunately, rather than following the logical course that your country has chosen to follow, we've decided that the best way to deal with this beautiful cultural diversity is to pretend like it doesn't exist. Our schools hardly ever mention religion of any kind because of a strict separation between church and state. I fully agree that the state should not sponsor a single religion, but it seems silly that we should all grow up without even knowing about our friends' and neighbors' deepest held beliefs. Learning about cultural diversity is a beautiful thing, not something to be feared or shunned. Religion is arguably more than any other factor the very thing that defines a culture.

I'm not familiar with the book “A Gathering of the Saints,” but I do remember the Mark Hofmann story. In fact, Mark Hofmann sits now in a federal prison not too far from my parents' home in Utah, and whenever my family needs a new suit for Church, we buy it from Mr. Macs, a clothing store founded by the father of one of Mark Hoffman's bombing victims. It's funny how a cohesive group like the LDS community tends to naturally think that its greatest detractors come from without. What a surprise to all of us when the biggest anti-Mormon of them all was one of our own!

Since you and your student are interested in the Mark Hoffman story, you might be interested in a sermon given by an LDS leader a few years ago entitled “The Healing Power of Forgiveness.” Most of the sermon relates a story about the Amish, a religious group not affiliated with the LDS Church. However, a small part of the sermon describes the challenges that Mac Christensen faced following the murder of his son.

I'm not certain how many members of the church are needed to build a temple. I think it may depend not only on the number of baptized members, but also on the number who are practicing and attending church every Sunday. Additionally, in recent years the church has begun building smaller but fully operational temples, so I suspect the required number is now smaller than it has been in the past. According to my copy of the “2006 Church Almanac,” though, there were 40,482 South African Mormons at the end of 2004. I wish I had more up-to-date information.

Feel free to ask me more questions after final exams if you like. I'm happy to help. Too bad I don't live in Salt Lake City anymore. If I did, I'd give you a personal tour when you pass through there in 2013. :) Best of luck.

Comment by Phillip Vietri — 11-29-2010, 01:32:27 AM
What percentage of Mormons are born into active Mormon families in America? What percentage of Mormons are born into active Mormon families world wide?

El Santo Gringo: Hi M. Cook. Your question is very difficult to answer. :) Worldwide, most Mormons are converts, so Mormons born into active Mormon families are in the minority. In the United States, particularly in Utah, there are many Mormon children born into active families. On the other hand, there are also a lot of American converts, especially outside of Utah. Consequently, I don't think I could even guess at the percentage of Americans Mormons born to active Mormon families. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

Comment by M Cook — 2-9-2011, 10:02:48 PM
In greece?

El Santo Gringo: Hi friend. Remarkably, there were only 693 Mormons in Greece as of 2009. A lot of work still needs to be done! :)

Comment by Anonymous — 2-19-2011, 03:09:07 PM
Worldwide in 2009, there were 280 106 converts baptized, and 119 722 new children of record.

Comment by Pamela Dean Bonta — 2-21-2011, 09:00:22 AM
I am writing a paper and having a hard time finding all the statistics or Mormons in one place. My questions are 1) Highest attendence ever recorded in one service 2) How many mormon volenteer hours in 2010 3) How many practicing member 4) New members in 2010 5) Percentage increase of members since 09 6) How many mormon congregations are there worldwide. All these are worldwide numbers not only for the U. S. Your helpfulness is really appriciated. Thank you for your time

El Santo Gringo: Hi friend. Let me try to answer your questions. 1) It's difficult to know the exact number of people at our largest meetings. Our semi-annual General Conference meetings are held in the LDS Conference Center, which seats 21,000. However, the same meeting is translated and broadcast to Mormon chapels all over the world, so actual attendance is probably much higher. 2) Not sure how many Mormon volunteer hours were performed in 2010. However, you can find a lot of information about Mormon humanitarian efforts on the official LDS website. 3) It's also difficult to assess the number of practicing Mormons, especially since “practicing” can mean something different to different people. I'd guess there are about 7 million Mormons worldwide who attend church every week. 4) According to the latest church report, there were 280,106 people baptized in 2009. Additionally, there were 119,722 new “children of record” (i.e., children born into Mormon families). 5) There were 13,824,854 members of the church on record as of 2009. That's roughly a 2.9% increase worldwide. 6) As of 2009, there were 28,424 Mormon congregations worldwide. Sorry I don't have more up-to-date information! Good luck with your report.

Comment by Anonymous — 2-26-2011, 07:52:00 PM
I am having trouble finding Canadian stats. I am needing the statistics of members for 1911, 1960, and 1991. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

El Santo Gringo:

El Santo Gringo: Hi friend. For what it's worth, in 2004 there were 166,442 Canadian Mormons on Church records. Good luck.

Comment by Anonymous — 3-9-2011, 10:18:04 PM
How many Wards are there in California?

El Santo Gringo: Hi friend, according to the 2006 Church Almanac, there were 162 stakes, 1,212 wards, and 174 branches.

Comment by Anonymous — 3-16-2011, 03:26:47 PM
What percent of Virginia's population is Mormon?

El Santo Gringo: Hi friend. According to the 2006 Church Almanac, about 1% of the population of Virginia is Mormon.

Comment by Anonymous — 3-27-2011, 10:37:24 PM
How many Mormons are in Romania, please?

El Santo Gringo: Hi friend. As of December 2010, there were 2,800 Mormons in Romania.

Comment by Petru — 4-4-2011, 04:58:07 AM
What is the percentage of Mormons in the world? (2011)

El Santo Gringo: Hi friend. About 0.2%. Clearly we have a lot of work to do! ;)

Comment by Maddie — 4-25-2011, 04:27:07 PM
How many LDS members live in Pittsburgh and in Philadelphia? Or do you only have data on the states as a whole? If so, how many in Pennsylvania? Thanks, DC

El Santo Gringo: Hi friend. As of 2010, there were 49,024 Mormons in Pennsylvania. Hope this answer helps.

Comment by Washington DC — 5-26-2011, 09:29:38 AM
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