If you walked into a typical chapel for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often called the Mormon church) on a Sunday morning, you'd likely see a bustling foyer full of families. But if you look at the official ledger, the numbers tell a much bigger—and sometimes more confusing—story.
Honestly, pinpointing exactly how many members of the Mormon church are there depends entirely on who you ask and how they define "member." As of early 2026, the official count sits at a record-breaking high, but independent researchers and former members often point to a very different reality on the ground.
The Official Count: 17.5 Million and Climbing
According to the latest statistical reports released by the Church in 2025, there are approximately 17,509,781 members worldwide.
That’s a huge number. To put it in perspective, that is more people than the entire population of the Netherlands. The Church has seen a significant "bounce back" in growth recently. In 2024 alone, they reported over 308,000 convert baptisms. That was the highest number of new converts in a quarter-century.
Elder Quentin L. Cook, a high-ranking leader in the Church, recently shared that every single region of the world saw at least a 20% increase in convert baptisms during the first half of 2025 compared to the year before. They are even opening 55 new missions in 2026 to handle the surge of over 84,000 young missionaries currently serving.
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But here is where it gets kinda tricky.
The Gap Between "On the Books" and "In the Pews"
The Church’s 17.5 million figure includes every person who has been baptized and hasn't explicitly asked to have their name removed or been "excommunicated" (now called withdrawal of membership). It includes people who haven't stepped foot in a chapel in forty years.
Independent sociologists like Jana Riess and researchers like Matt Martinich, who tracks LDS growth at cumorah.com, suggest the activity rate—the percentage of members who actually attend church regularly—is likely between 30% and 40% globally.
If you do the math on that, the number of "active" Mormons is probably closer to 5.2 million to 7 million people.
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Why the massive discrepancy?
- The "Lost" Members: In many parts of the world, especially Latin America and the Philippines, people are baptized but don't stay involved. Their names stay on the records until they turn 110 years old if the Church loses track of them.
- Cultural Shifts: In the United States, retention is dropping. Data from the General Social Survey shows that while the Church used to keep 75% of its kids, that number has plummeted to about 40% to 54% for Gen Z and Millennials.
- The Internet Factor: It's easier than ever to find "unfiltered" church history online. This has led to a spike in resignations, particularly in the "Mormon Corridor" of Utah and Idaho.
Where is the Church Actually Growing?
The "center of gravity" for the faith is shifting. While Salt Lake City is still the headquarters, the most explosive growth isn't happening in Utah. It's happening in Africa.
In the last decade, the Church has more than doubled its size on the African continent. In places like Nigeria, Ghana, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Church is building temples and stakes at a breakneck pace. For instance, the Africa Central Area is expected to organize 25 new stakes (groups of congregations) in 2025 alone—that’s massive compared to the usual four or five per year.
In contrast, Europe and parts of North America are seeing "shrivel." Wards (individual congregations) are being consolidated. In 2025, some researchers noted a net decrease in the total number of wards in the U.S., even as the Church created more "stakes" by lowering the minimum number of members required to form one.
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Understanding the "Stone Cut Without Hands"
The Church often uses a scriptural metaphor of a "stone cut without hands" that will eventually fill the whole earth. Whether that’s happening is a matter of perspective.
If you look at the raw data, the Church is definitely growing. It has more temples (382 announced or operating), more missionaries, and more total members than ever before. But as a percentage of the total world population? It's still a tiny fraction—about 0.2%.
Basically, the Church is becoming a global powerhouse in terms of finances and infrastructure, even if its actual "active" flock is growing more slowly than the official numbers suggest.
Actionable Insights: What This Means for You
Whether you’re a member, a researcher, or just curious about the demographics, here’s how to interpret the numbers:
- Look at "Stakes" and "Wards," not just "Members": Total membership numbers are a "lagging indicator." If you want to see where a religion is actually healthy, look at the number of new congregations being formed. Growth in Africa is "real" growth; consolidation in California is "stagnant" growth.
- Check the Missionaries: The surge to 84,000+ missionaries in 2026 is a strong sign of internal vitality. It means the youth are still committed enough to give up two years of their lives.
- Factor in the Retention Crisis: If you are a leader or a parent within the faith, the data suggests that the biggest challenge isn't finding new converts—it's keeping the ones you already have, especially the younger generation.
To get the most accurate picture, you have to balance the official 17.5 million with the reality of empty seats in some older wards. The Mormon church is certainly not disappearing, but it is transforming into a much more African and Global South-centric organization.
To stay updated on these shifts, you can monitor the Church's official Newsroom for the 2025 year-end report usually released in April 2026, or follow independent trackers like the LDS Church Growth blog for a more granular, country-by-country breakdown.