More than 500 million Christians face Bible access restrictions worldwide: report
New data reveals that more than 500 million Christians worldwide face Bible access restrictions, as laws imposed by governments hostile to Christianity and socioeconomic barriers prevent many people who would like Bibles from having them.
The Bible Access Initiative released its 2026 Bible Access List Thursday, which provided updated statistics about access to the Bible worldwide by specifically highlighting countries where Bible access is explicitly restricted and places where Christians want the Bible but find themselves unable to access it. Overall, more than 500 million Christians worldwide face Bible access restrictions while over 125 million would like a Bible but do not have one. The report examined 106 countries, with a full analysis now available online.
Afghanistan was identified as the country with the most restrictions on BIble access, followed by Yemen, Somalia, North Korea, Eritrea and Mauritania. All of the aforementioned countries have what the Bible Access Initiative refers to as “maximum restrictions” on Bible access. Turkmenistan, Libya, Sudan and Iran round out the list of the countries with the top 10 strongest Bible access restrictions. Those countries, along with Comoros and Maldives, are categorized as having “extreme restrictions.”
Countries listed as having “severe restrictions,” a step lower than “extreme restrictions,” are Algeria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, Niger, Burkina Faso, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Morocco, Syria, Bhutan, Azerbaijan, Mali, Oman, Brunei, Myanmar, Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Chad, Iraq, Central African Republic, Malaysia, Laos, India, Kuwait, Ethiopia, Cuba, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Mozambique, Bangladesh, Jordan, Palestinian Territories, Vietnam, Nepal, Indonesia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Cameroon, Venezuela, Togo, Turkey, Lebanon, Tanzania, South Sudan, Malawi, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Kenya are identified as countries having “considerable restrictions” while Nicaragua, Russia, the Ivory Coast, Ukraine, Rwanda, Colombia, Uganda, Senegal, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Benin, Angola, Sierra Leone, Mexico, Burundi and Liberia have “some restrictions.”
Examples of what constitute Bible restrictions, as highlighted in the report, include “Persecution through government controls, extremist violence, and family and community pressure.” Socioeconomic barriers to Bible access, including “poverty, poor infrastructure, illiteracy, lack of electricity, and limited internet access,” are also categorized as Bible restrictions.
Bible shortages are highest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria and India. Each country has a shortage of more than 10 million Bibles. Uganda, Tanzania and China have Bible shortages ranging from 5-10 million while Indonesia, Angola and Mozambique round out the top 10 countries with the highest Bible shortages. Those countries, along with Malawi, Rwanda, Madagascar and Kenya, are short between 3 and 5 million Bibles.
Countries with Bible shortages of 1-3 million are the Ivory Coast, Burundi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Haiti, Cameroon, Cuba and Ghana. South Sudan, Chad, Benin, Burkina Faso, Egypt and the Central African Republic have Bible shortages ranging from 500,000 to 1 million.
“We often hear that the Bible is more accessible than ever, but we must not confuse availability with access,” said Bible Access List co-creator Wybo Nicolai in a statement reacting to the findings of this year’s Bible Access List. “Persecution-related Bible access restrictions can make accessing Scripture difficult or dangerous, while socioeconomic barriers can put a Bible beyond people’s reach. Even where Scripture is available digitally, limited internet coverage or unsafe online environments can still prevent people from accessing it.”
Ken Bitgood, founder and CEO of Digital Bible Society and co-creator of the Bible Access List, identified the report as “more than a picture of the problem but a roadmap for showing where intentional, strategic action is needed.” According to Bitgood, “We believe everyone deserves access to God’s Word, and our goal is to equip others to join us in this mission, combining our efforts, resources and energy together to make this a reality.”
This year’s Bible Access List examines 19 additional countries compared to the inaugural Bible Access List, which was published last year.
A partnership between Bible League International, Digital Bible Society, Frontlines International, The Voice of the Martyrs and YouVersion, the Bible Access Initiative describes its mission as to “provide Bible agencies, mission organizations and churches with a comprehensive and reliable overview of restrictions on Bible access and shortages experienced across different countries” as well as “crucial information for enhancing strategic planning efforts aimed at addressing Bible access challenges more effectively.”
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
