The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership history
The Deseret Morning News LDS Church Almanac gives information on historical membership records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The church's reported membership as of December 31, 2014 was 15,372,337.[1]
Growth and demographic history
The records of the LDS Church show membership growth every decade since its beginning in the 1830s. Following initial growth rates that averaged 10% to 25% per year in the 1830s through 1850s, it grew at about 4% per year through the last four decades of the 19th century (the Utah polygamy years). After a steady slowing of growth in the first four decades of the 20th century to a rate of about 2% per year in the 1930s (the Great Depression years), growth boomed to an average of 6% per year for the decade around 1960, staying around 4% to 5% through 1990. After 1990, average annual growth again slowed steadily to a rate around 2.3% for the ten years ending 2013, still about double the average world population growth rate of 1.2% for the same period.
Note that the following graph starts in 1860 to optimize its vertical scale.
LDS Church membership numbers
LDS Church Growth From 1829 to 1860
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
1830
1840
1850
1860
Table for recent growth
World population numbers as of April 4, 2015.[2] [3]
| Year | LDS church growth rate | World growth rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.03% | 1.47% |
| 1951 | 3.23% | 1.61% |
| 1952 | 3.65% | 1.71% |
| 1953 | 4.82% | 1.78% |
| 1954 | 4.48% | 1.87% |
| 1955 | 4.23% | 1.89% |
| 1956 | 4.38% | 1.96% |
| 1957 | 5.05% | 1.94% |
| 1958 | 4.53% | 1.77% |
| 1959 | 3.88% | 1.40% |
| 1960 | 4.77% | 1.34% |
| 1961 | 7.71% | 1.81% |
| 1962 | 7.79% | 2.20% |
| 1963 | 7.72% | 2.20% |
| 1964 | 5.55% | 2.09% |
| 1965 | 7.20% | 2.08% |
| 1966 | 3.55% | 2.03% |
| 1967 | 5.38% | 2.04% |
| 1968 | 2.67% | 2.08% |
| 1969 | 4.60% | 2.05% |
| 1970 | 4.39% | 2.07% |
| 1971 | 5.46% | 1.99% |
| 1972 | 4.14% | 1.94% |
| 1973 | 2.73% | 1.88% |
| 1974 | 3.12% | 1.79% |
| 1975 | 4.76% | 1.72% |
| 1976 | 4.77% | 1.71% |
| 1977 | 6.05% | 1.68% |
| 1978 | 4.98% | 1.71% |
| 1979 | 5.69% | 1.70% |
| 1980 | 5.35% | 1.70% |
| 1981 | 6.05% | 1.75% |
| 1982 | 4.92% | 1.76% |
| 1983 | 3.66% | 1.70% |
| 1984 | 5.41% | 1.69% |
| 1985 | 4.94% | 1.71% |
| 1986 | 4.18% | 1.74% |
| 1987 | 3.69% | 1.72% |
| 1988 | 5.11% | 1.69% |
| 1989 | 8.74% | 1.68% |
| 1990 | 6.19% | 1.57% |
| 1991 | 4.23% | 1.55% |
| 1992 | 3.88% | 1.50% |
| 1993 | 3.39% | 1.45% |
| 1994 | 3.86% | 1.44% |
| 1995 | 3.48% | 1.41% |
| 1996 | 3.79% | 1.38% |
| 1997 | 3.91% | 1.34% |
| 1998 | 2.80% | 1.31% |
| 1999 | 3.85% | 1.28% |
| 2000 | 2.94% | 1.26% |
| 2001 | 2.94% | 1.23% |
| 2002 | 2.87% | 1.21% |
| 2003 | 2.25% | 1.21% |
| 2004 | 2.42% | 1.20% |
| 2005 | 2.32% | 1.19% |
| 2006 | 2.45% | 1.18% |
| 2007 | 2.52% | 1.18% |
| 2008 | 2.38% | 1.17% |
| 2009 | 2.34% | 1.15% |
| 2010 | 2.22% | 1.13% |
| 2011 | 2.19% | 1.11% |
| 2012 | 2.31% | 1.11% |
| 2013 | 2.03% | 1.09% |
| 2014 | 1.92% | 1.08% |
Table for LDS Church membership numbers
| Year | Membership | Number change | Percentage growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1829 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| 1830 | 280 | 274 | 4566.67% |
| 1831 | 680 | 400 | 142.86% |
| 1832 | 2,661 | 1,981 | 291.32% |
| 1833 | 3,140 | 479 | 18.00% |
| 1834 | 4,372 | 1,232 | 39.24% |
| 1835 | 8,835 | 4,463 | 102.08% |
| 1836 | 13,293 | 4,458 | 50.46% |
| 1837 | 16,282 | 2,989 | 22.49% |
| 1838 | 17,881 | 1,599 | 9.82% |
| 1839 | 16,460 | -1,421 | -7.95% |
| 1840 | 16,865 | 405 | 2.46% |
| 1841 | 19,856 | 2,991 | 17.73% |
| 1842 | 23,564 | 3,708 | 18.67% |
| 1843 | 25,980 | 2,416 | 10.25% |
| 1844 | 26,146 | 166 | 0.64% |
| 1845 | 30,332 | 4,186 | 16.01% |
| 1846 | 33,993 | 3,661 | 12.07% |
| 1847 | 34,694 | 701 | 2.06% |
| 1848 | 40,477 | 5,783 | 16.67% |
| 1849 | 48,160 | 7,683 | 18.98% |
| 1850 | 51,839 | 3,679 | 7.64% |
| 1851 | 52,165 | 326 | 0.63% |
| 1852 | 52,640 | 475 | 0.91% |
| 1853 | 64,154 | 11,514 | 21.87% |
| 1854 | 68,429 | 4,275 | 6.66% |
| 1855 | 63,974 | -4,455 | -6.51% |
| 1856 | 63,881 | -93 | -0.15% |
| 1857 | 55,236 | -8,645 | -13.53% |
| 1858 | 55,755 | 519 | 0.94% |
| 1859 | 57,038 | 1,283 | 2.30% |
| 1860 | 61,082 | 4,044 | 7.09% |
| 1861 | 66,211 | 5,129 | 8.40% |
| 1862 | 68,780 | 2,569 | 3.88% |
| 1863 | 71,770 | 2,990 | 4.35% |
| 1864 | 74,348 | 2,578 | 3.59% |
| 1865 | 76,771 | 2,423 | 3.26% |
| 1866 | 77,884 | 1,113 | 1.45% |
| 1867 | 81,124 | 3,240 | 4.16% |
| 1868 | 84,622 | 3,498 | 4.31% |
| 1869 | 88,432 | 3,810 | 4.50% |
| 1870 | 90,130 | 1,698 | 1.92% |
| 1871 | 95,596 | 5,466 | 6.06% |
| 1872 | 98,152 | 2,556 | 2.67% |
| 1873 | 101,538 | 3,386 | 3.45% |
| 1874 | 103,916 | 2,378 | 2.34% |
| 1875 | 107,167 | 3,251 | 3.13% |
| 1876 | 111,111 | 3,944 | 3.68% |
| 1877 | 115,065 | 3,954 | 3.56% |
| 1878 | 125,046 | 9,981 | 8.67% |
| 1879 | 128,386 | 3,340 | 2.67% |
| 1880 | 133,628 | 5,242 | 4.08% |
| 1881 | 140,733 | 7,105 | 5.32% |
| 1882 | 145,604 | 4,871 | 3.46% |
| 1883 | 151,593 | 5,989 | 4.11% |
| 1884 | 158,242 | 6,649 | 4.39% |
| 1885 | 164,130 | 5,888 | 3.72% |
| 1886 | 166,653 | 2,523 | 1.54% |
| 1887 | 173,029 | 6,376 | 3.83% |
| 1888 | 180,294 | 7,265 | 4.20% |
| 1889 | 183,144 | 2,850 | 1.58% |
| 1890 | 188,263 | 5,119 | 2.80% |
| 1891 | 195,445 | 7,182 | 3.81% |
| 1892 | 200,961 | 5,516 | 2.82% |
| 1893 | 214,534 | 13,573 | 6.75% |
| 1894 | 222,369 | 7,835 | 3.65% |
| 1895 | 231,116 | 8,747 | 3.93% |
| 1896 | 241,427 | 10,311 | 4.46% |
| 1897 | 255,736 | 14,309 | 5.93% |
| 1898 | 267,251 | 11,515 | 4.50% |
| 1899 | 271,681 | 4,430 | 1.66% |
| 1900 | 283,765 | 12,084 | 4.45% |
| 1901 | 292,931 | 9,166 | 3.23% |
| 1902 | 299,105 | 6,174 | 2.11% |
| 1903 | 304,901 | 5,796 | 1.94% |
| 1904 | 324,289 | 19,388 | 6.36% |
| 1905 | 332,048 | 7,759 | 2.39% |
| 1906 | 345,014 | 12,966 | 3.90% |
| 1907 | 357,913 | 12,899 | 3.74% |
| 1908 | 371,472 | 13,559 | 3.79% |
| 1909 | 377,279 | 5,807 | 1.56% |
| 1910 | 398,478 | 21,199 | 5.62% |
| 1911 | 407,291 | 8,813 | 2.21% |
| 1912 | 417,555 | 10,264 | 2.52% |
| 1913 | 431,607 | 14,052 | 3.37% |
| 1914 | 454,718 | 23,111 | 5.35% |
| 1915 | 466,238 | 11,520 | 2.53% |
| 1916 | 477,321 | 11,083 | 2.38% |
| 1917 | 488,038 | 10,717 | 2.25% |
| 1918 | 495,962 | 7,924 | 1.62% |
| 1919 | 507,961 | 11,999 | 2.42% |
| 1920 | 525,987 | 18,026 | 3.55% |
| 1921 | 548,803 | 22,816 | 4.34% |
| 1922 | 566,358 | 17,555 | 3.20% |
| 1923 | 575,896 | 9,538 | 1.68% |
| 1924 | 597,861 | 21,965 | 3.81% |
| 1925 | 613,572 | 15,711 | 2.63% |
| 1926 | 623,909 | 10,337 | 1.68% |
| 1927 | 644,745 | 20,836 | 3.34% |
| 1928 | 655,686 | 10,941 | 1.70% |
| 1929 | 663,652 | 7,966 | 1.21% |
| 1930 | 670,017 | 6,365 | 0.96% |
| 1931 | 688,435 | 18,418 | 2.75% |
| 1932 | 703,949 | 15,514 | 2.25% |
| 1933 | 717,619 | 13,670 | 1.94% |
| 1934 | 730,738 | 13,119 | 1.83% |
| 1935 | 746,384 | 15,646 | 2.14% |
| 1936 | 760,690 | 14,306 | 1.92% |
| 1937 | 767,752 | 7,062 | 0.93% |
| 1938 | 784,764 | 17,012 | 2.22% |
| 1939 | 803,528 | 18,764 | 2.39% |
| 1940 | 862,664 | 59,136 | 7.36% |
| 1941 | 892,080 | 29,416 | 3.41% |
| 1942 | 917,715 | 25,635 | 2.87% |
| 1943 | 937,050 | 19,335 | 2.11% |
| 1944 | 954,004 | 16,954 | 1.81% |
| 1945 | 979,454 | 25,450 | 2.67% |
| 1946 | 996,505 | 17,051 | 1.74% |
| 1947 | 1,016,170 | 19,665 | 1.97% |
| 1948 | 1,041,970 | 25,800 | 2.54% |
| 1949 | 1,078,671 | 36,701 | 3.52% |
| 1950 | 1,111,314 | 32,643 | 3.03% |
| 1951 | 1,147,157 | 35,843 | 3.23% |
| 1952 | 1,189,053 | 41,896 | 3.65% |
| 1953 | 1,246,362 | 57,309 | 4.82% |
| 1954 | 1,302,240 | 55,878 | 4.48% |
| 1955 | 1,357,274 | 55,034 | 4.23% |
| 1956 | 1,416,731 | 59,457 | 4.38% |
| 1957 | 1,488,314 | 71,583 | 5.05% |
| 1958 | 1,555,799 | 67,485 | 4.53% |
| 1959 | 1,616,088 | 60,289 | 3.88% |
| 1960 | 1,693,180 | 77,092 | 4.77% |
| 1961 | 1,823,661 | 130,481 | 7.71% |
| 1962 | 1,965,786 | 142,125 | 7.79% |
| 1963 | 2,117,451 | 151,665 | 7.72% |
| 1964 | 2,234,916 | 117,465 | 5.55% |
| 1965 | 2,395,932 | 161,016 | 7.20% |
| 1966 | 2,480,899 | 84,967 | 3.55% |
| 1967 | 2,614,340 | 133,441 | 5.38% |
| 1968 | 2,684,073 | 69,733 | 2.67% |
| 1969 | 2,807,456 | 123,383 | 4.60% |
| 1970 | 2,930,810 | 123,354 | 4.39% |
| 1971 | 3,090,953 | 160,143 | 5.46% |
| 1972 | 3,218,908 | 127,955 | 4.14% |
| 1973 | 3,306,658 | 87,750 | 2.73% |
| 1974 | 3,409,987 | 103,329 | 3.12% |
| 1975 | 3,572,202 | 162,215 | 4.76% |
| 1976 | 3,742,749 | 170,547 | 4.77% |
| 1977 | 3,969,220 | 226,471 | 6.05% |
| 1978 | 4,166,854 | 197,634 | 4.98% |
| 1979 | 4,404,121 | 237,267 | 5.69% |
| 1980 | 4,639,822 | 235,701 | 5.35% |
| 1981 | 4,920,449 | 280,627 | 6.05% |
| 1982 | 5,162,619 | 242,170 | 4.92% |
| 1983 | 5,351,724 | 189,105 | 3.66% |
| 1984 | 5,641,054 | 289,330 | 5.41% |
| 1985 | 5,919,483 | 278,429 | 4.94% |
| 1986 | 6,166,974 | 247,491 | 4.18% |
| 1987 | 6,394,314 | 227,340 | 3.69% |
| 1988 | 6,721,210 | 326,896 | 5.11% |
| 1989 | 7,308,444 | 587,234 | 8.74% |
| 1990 | 7,761,179 | 452,735 | 6.19% |
| 1991 | 8,089,848 | 328,669 | 4.23% |
| 1992 | 8,404,087 | 314,239 | 3.88% |
| 1993 | 8,689,168 | 285,081 | 3.39% |
| 1994 | 9,024,368 | 335,200 | 3.86% |
| 1995 | 9,338,859 | 314,491 | 3.48% |
| 1996 | 9,692,441 | 353,582 | 3.79% |
| 1997 | 10,071,783 | 379,342 | 3.91% |
| 1998 | 10,354,241 | 282,458 | 2.80% |
| 1999 | 10,752,986 | 398,745 | 3.85% |
| 2000 | 11,068,861 | 315,875 | 2.94% |
| 2001 | 11,394,522 | 325,661 | 2.94% |
| 2002 | 11,721,548 | 327,026 | 2.87% |
| 2003 | 11,985,254 | 263,706 | 2.25% |
| 2004 | 12,275,822 | 290,568 | 2.42% |
| 2005 | 12,560,869 | 285,047 | 2.32% |
| 2006 | 12,868,606 | 307,737 | 2.45% |
| 2007 | 13,193,999 | 325,393 | 2.53% |
| 2008 | 13,508,509 | 314,510 | 2.38% |
| 2009 | 13,824,854 | 316,345 | 2.34% |
| 2010 | 14,131,467 | 306,613 | 2.22% |
| 2011 | 14,441,346 | 309,879 | 2.19% |
| 2012 | 14,782,473 | 341,127 | 2.31% |
| 2013 | 15,082,028 | 299,555 | 2.03% |
| 2014 | 15,372,337[1] | 290,309 | 1.92% |
See also
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership statistics
References
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