Facts and Statistics

Close

    Kiribati

    23,046

    Total Church Membership

    1-in-

    2

    Stakes

    43

    Congregations

    13 Wards
    30 Branches

    3

    Family History Centers

    3

    History

    Made up of 36 Micronesian islands in the mid-Pacific where the equator and international dateline meet, Kiribati is a republic which became independent in 1979. The island's population speaks Gilbertese and English. About half of the population is Protestant and half Roman Catholic.

    The Church was introduced to Kiribati when Waitea Abiuta, a school teacher and headmaster of a school, asked to have graduates from his school attend Liahona High School in Tonga. Fijian mission president Eb L. Davis visited Kiribati in September 1972 and approved 12 students to come to the Church school. Students were converted at the high school and they began serving as missionaries in Kiribati on 19 October 1975.

    Among those who joined the Church were Waitea Abiuta and several of the staff and students of the school. However, when opposition to the Church arose, enrollment at the school declined. In August 1976, Grant and Pat Howlett, Church educators at Liahona High, were called to teach at the Kiribati school. Through their efforts, enrollment increased and government relations improved. Later, the Church purchased the school, renamed it Moroni Community School, and other teachers arrived from Tonga as enrollment continued to increase.

    In 1982, a new Church building was completed, and Buren Ratieta, Gilbertese branch (a small congregation) president, held services in February of that year. Among the 250 who attended the dedicatory services was the president of the Kiribati Republic, Ieremia T. Tabai. He said government leaders at first feared the Church would divide the people, but when he saw the great social contribution the Church made, he became happy to cooperate with the Church. Since that time, missionary work has expanded to more distant islands in Kiribati.

    In the fall of 1993, a group of first-time basketball players from Moroni High School, the age of United States high school sophomores and juniors, won the championship of Kiribati in their division. They also defeated the 20-30-year-olds division champions. In 1994, Teatao Teanaki, president of the Republic, was the main speaker at the graduation ceremony at Moroni High School.

    On 11 August 1996, Elder L. Tom Perry created the Tarawa Kiribati Stake (diocese), the first stake in the country.

    For Journalist Use Only

    Richard Hunter
    New Zealand
    Phone:  64(9)488-5572
    Mobile: 64-21-240-7804

    E-mail: Hunterra@ldschurch.org

    Africa

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    933,511

    Members

    2,927

    Congregations

    Missions

    54Missions

    Family History Centers

    575

    Temples

    6Temples

    Asia

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    1,316,373

    Members

    2,145

    Congregations

    Missions

    51Missions

    Family History Centers

    419

    Temples

    11Temples

    Europe

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    513,534

    Members

    1,290

    Congregations

    Missions

    37Missions

    Family History Centers

    665

    Temples

    14Temples

    North America

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    9,733,719

    Members

    18,426

    Congregations

    Missions

    187Missions

    Family History Centers

    3,106

    Temples

    131Temples

    Oceania (Pacific)

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    607,302

    Members

    1,290

    Congregations

    Missions

    17Missions

    Family History Centers

    321

    Temples

    11Temples

    South America

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    4,392,463

    Members

    5,599

    Congregations

    Missions

    104Missions

    Family History Centers

    1,459

    Temples

    29Temples