100 Million Christians Worldwide Without Access to a Bible: ‘A Modern Famine of the Word’
October 9, 2025
A new report estimates that nearly 100 million Christians are living without access to a Bible due to legal restrictions and shortages in numerous countries.
Christianity Daily reports that the Bible Access List, published Thursday by the Bible Access Initiative has compiled data and insights from experts to pinpoint 88 nations where scripture is most difficult to obtain.
Somalia, Afghanistan, Yemen, North Korea, and Mauritania have been identified as the five countries with the most severe restrictions.
Those restrictions include barriers like government bans, extremist activities, and socioeconomic factors that hinder Bible distribution.
Meanwhile, the greatest shortages of scripture among Christians can be found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Ethiopia, India, and China.
The Bible Shortage List provides estimates of how many Christians want a Bible but are unable to obtain one.
Open Doors International and the Digital Bible Society established the Bible Access Initiative in order to supply accurate data to churches and mission organizations.
One of the initiative’s founding partners, Ken Bitgood, founder and CEO of the Digital Bible Society, emphasized that, “Unfettered access to the Bible is not a universal standard.”
Bitgood added, “While there are many misconceptions about Bible access worldwide, the Bible Access List highlights the complexities and nuances of the issue.”
The initiative’s methodology combines numerical data, survey research, and expert validation to evaluate how factors like persecution, poverty, political instability, and conflict displacement limit Scripture access.
Wybo Nicolai, co-creator of the report, said, “A modern famine persists, not due to apathy, but because of barriers that prevent people from accessing the Bible. Many have never seen a Bible in their language, the format they prefer, or at a price they can afford.”
Photo: top, Credit: Bible Access Initiative