Number of Mormon Missionaries Serving

• Tweet
• Pin It

Numbers updated April 3, 2016

The graph below shows the number of missionaries from 1977 (the first year the Church started reporting the number of missionaries serving) through 2013. This is according to the LDS Church annual statistical reports. See the chart further below for the exact numbers for each year.

With the LDS Church announcement of the lower age requirement for missionaries (18 for young men and 19 for young women), it got me thinking about what this will do to the number of Mormon missionaries serving. I’m sure it will bring a great influx of new missionaries and, with those increased missionary efforts, a larger number of new converts coming to Christ and His restored gospel. It is very exciting to think of the potential!

The number of full-time missionaries peaked back in 2002 at 61,638. In the following years, the number declined and then leveled off to about 52,000 per year. This lull in numbers is generally attributed to two factors: 1) a natural demographic decline in the number of youth in the  missionary age range, and 2) the raising of the bar that is the standard for missionary service (see Elder Ballard’s October 2002 talk, The Greatest Generation of Missionaries). With this new lower age requirement, it is likely that the number of missionaries will surge. We’ll have to keep an eye on it.

Number of Mormon Missionaries Called

The number of Mormon Missionaries called to go on a mission in a given year (as opposed to the number of missionaries serving at a given time) is also reported by the Church through the annual almanac printed by Deseret News. It also peaked in 2002 at 36,196 and has since leveled off to the present, roughly 30,000 called per year.

Data Table: Number of Mormon Missionaries Serving

Source: LDS Church Annual Statistical Reports, 1978-2015, gc.lds.org

Number of Mormon Missionaries Called

Source: LDS Church Almanac by Deseret News

• Tweet
• Pin It

Related Posts

• 

  Missionary Schedule
  Missionary Schedule
• 

  Mission Companions
  Mission Companions

11 Comments

1. 

   Alin Constantinescu

   June 19, 2013 at 10:15 pm

   Jimmy, Hello

   Is there any way that I can find out how many members of the Romania/Moldova Mission (former Romania-Bucharest MIssion) served missions from 1993 up until this day. The Office here does not have this information.
   THank you,
   Alin

   Reply
2. 

   Tony

   October 26, 2013 at 11:24 am

   Hello Jimmy,

   Do you have a number for how many missionaries were serving in Argentina in 1977? How about how many missionaries are serving now in Argentina?

   Also, Do you know the church membership in Argentina in 1977?

   Thank you, Tony Jolley

   Reply
   • 

     Jimmy

     October 26, 2013 at 11:39 am

     Sorry Tony. I do not know.

     Reply

3. Pingback: The Saratov Approach - Mormon Mission Prep

4. Pingback: Meet The Mormon Church’s First Online-Only Missionary | Nosmerca

5. Pingback: Meet The Mormon Church’s First Online-Only Missionary – Technology – The Huffington Post | Internet Technology Business

6. Pingback: Daily Krunch » Meet The Mormon Church’s First Online-Only Missionary

7. 

   Scott Sharp

   November 2, 2014 at 9:10 pm

   How many missionaries have been called from 2010-2014? Your chart does not have 2010,2012 or 2013.

   Reply
   • 

     Jimmy

     November 12, 2014 at 9:33 pm

     I’ll have to do some digging and see if I can find more up-to-date information.

     Reply

8. Pingback: Statistieken Mormoonse zendelingen | amberparadadelgado

9. Pingback: Mormon Church Growth, Activity Rate and Retention | Life After Ministry