Most FLDS members live in Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona, about 350 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, with other communities in Canada, Texas and other areas of the North American west. In 1998, about 40,000 people living in Utah were part of a polygamist family, or about 1.4 percent of the population.

Where can polygamy be found?

However, in countries where polygamy is common, it often is practiced by people of all faiths. That's the case in Gambia, Niger, Mali, Chad and Burkina Faso, where at least one-in-ten people in every religious group measured live in households that include husbands with more than one spouse.

Where Is polygamy legal in the US?

Polygamy is illegal in all 50 states. But Utah's law is unique in that a person can be found guilty not just for having two legal marriage licenses, but also for cohabiting with another adult in a marriage-like relationship when they are already legally married to someone else.