We have exciting news! In the last five years, Bible Societies around the globe have distributed 1.8 billion Scriptures, including more than 180 million full Bibles. That’s approximately a quarter of the world’s population that now has access to Scripture. Praise God!

This incredible achievement was done by 150 Bible Societies working in over 240 countries and territories. These Bible Societies are motivated by a desire to get God’s Word into the hands of everyone who wants it.

And what better time than now to offer the hope found in God’s Word as we face the challenges of 2020.

Unprecedented Access to God’s Word

A contributing factor for growing numbers in Bible distribution was the fact that more people are reading Scripture in more formats or in ways that are right for them. Bible Societies took advantage of this opportunity by providing Scripture specially designed to reach all people and the different ways they engage with Scripture. They provided God’s Word for children, adults learning to read and write, and Bibles with the deuterocanonical books used by Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox communities as well as a variety of other formats.

Other highlights from 2019 include:

• Almost 25% all full Bibles distributed were downloaded from the internet. Central and South America saw the biggest number of downloads by far.
• Nearly 3.7 million Scripture items were provided for children. The top five Bible Societies for children’s Scripture distribution were Egypt, Brazil, Bolivia, Germany, and Sri Lanka.
• Portions of Scripture were being translated into 29 sign languages used by 5.3 million Deaf people.
• Bible Societies ran literacy classes in more than 20 countries for up to 165,000 people and distributed more than 4.5 million Scripture booklets for new readers.
• More than 18.3 million full Bibles – 46% of the global provision – were distributed in just five countries – Brazil, China, USA, India and Nigeria.
• The top five languages for Bible distribution were Spanish, Portuguese, English, Chinese, and French.
• In countries where Christians are under pressure full Bibles have been downloaded. The Arabic Bible was downloaded more than 27,000 times in Egypt, 1,167 times in Yemen and just over 800 times in Iraq.

We thank God that millions of people around the world are experiencing the hope offered in his Word through the tireless efforts of Bible Societies. Join us in praying for millions more to encounter Jesus in the pages of Scripture.

Let’s Thank God Together:

God, we praise you for record-breaking Bible distribution in the last five years. Please continue to favor Bible Societies as they spread the gospel message. We also pray for transformation as people engage with Scripture and its life-changing message.