Open Veils · Answer
How many Mormons in the world?
The official roster shows just under 18 million, with record convert baptisms in 2025 accelerating growth past previous highs. Critics and sociologists consistently argue the real active membership is a fraction of that figure, as resignations and inactivity are rarely purged from rolls. The gap between nominal and practicing Latter-day Saints is one of the most debated membership-counting controversies in modern religion.
Evidence
- Per the Church's own 2025 Statistical Report (released April 2026), total roster membership stands at 17,887,212 — up from 17,509,781 at end-2024.
- The Salt Lake Tribune (October 2026) flags analyst commentary that the church is on track to cross 18 million during 2026 at current growth rates.
- However, sociologists and ex-Mormon researchers have long argued the official count is inflated.
- Researchers like David Knowlton and the Pew Research Center have historically estimated active, self-identifying members at roughly 30–40% of the official roll, implying a practicing base closer to 5–7 million worldwide.
- Religion News Service (April 2026) notes 385,490 convert baptisms in 2025, a nearly 25% jump over 2024 and the highest single-year convert total ever recorded, surpassing the previous record set in 1990.