Brazil added more “Mormons“/Latter-day Saints last year than any other country

Brazil just added more Latter-day Saints last year than any other country in the world. Today, Brazil has over 1.5 million members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 2025 alone, it added nearly 48,000 new members, more than any other country in the world. But that's not the most interesting part, because the church in Brazil didn't start with massive success.

In 1928, missionaries arrived in southern Brazil, but they weren't teaching most Brazilians. They were teaching German immigrants. For years, the church barely reached the Portuguese-speaking population. In the 1930s, rising anti-German sentiment led the government to ban the German language in public. Church meetings had to shift, materials were destroyed, and missionaries had to adapt.

And suddenly, the gospel had to be preached in Portuguese. This became a turning point. In 1940, the Book of Mormon was translated into Portuguese, and from that moment, growth exploded. The message could finally reach the hearts of the majority of people. By 1966, Sao Paulo became home to the first stake in all of South America. And just 12 years later, the first temple in South America was dedicated there.

Since then, hundreds of thousands have joined the church in Brazil. Today there are 24 temples. This includes 11 operating temples, four under construction, and nine announced temples, making Brazil one of the countries with the highest number of temples outside the US. President Russell M. Nelson once said, "Brazil is part of the heart of the church." And when you see what's happening there today, you understand why.