Earlier this year, Wybo Nicolai joined hundreds of Ethiopians at a church more than an hour outside the capital, Addis Ababa. As they sang and heard from Scripture together, only about 25 of the worshipers had their own Bibles.
The situation reflects a crisis in Bible access across Africa, as well as in the Middle East and parts of Asia. Though more Christians live in sub-Saharan Africa than anywhere else in the world, Bible production has not kept up with church growth, and more than 10 million Christians in Ethiopia do not have access to the Bible, according to new estimates from the Bible Access Initiative.
Nicolai, who helped develop Open Doors’ World Watch List ranking Christian persecution, belongs to a new collaborative of ministries working to highlight the challenges many Christians face in accessing Scripture.
In Ethiopia, he handed out copies of the Bible to churchgoers, some who had waited years to own one. Even “being able to help one person is a blessing,” he said.
About 100 million Christians in 88 countries—around a fifth of the global church—can’t freely read their own copy of the Bible in their own language without challenges, according to the Bible Access Initiative’s first report. The report ranks the countries that face the most restrictions on owning a Bible on one list and the countries with the greatest Bible shortages on another.
Ethiopia ranks third for the world’s most severe Bible shortage, behind the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria. Researchers factor in Bible ownership, available translations, distribution, and economics. Of the top 20 countries ranked by Bible shortage, 14 are in Africa.
A separate ranking designates countries that restrict Bible ownership and distribution. In at least 15 countries, importing, printing, and distributing the Bible is illegal, and Bible ownership comes with restrictions. The five countries with the most Bible restrictions are Somalia, Afghanistan, Yemen, North Korea, and Mauritania.
An additional 18 countries place “severe” restrictions on Bible access. In Pakistan, for example, printing the Bible is technically legal, but only from approved Christian publishers who must navigate complex bureaucratic requirements. Though Pakistani churches are permitted to store Bibles, it is risky to do so because churches are sometimes the target of violent attacks.
In Somalia, only 5,000 of the country’s 18 million people are Christians, and a strict interpretation of sharia law makes it illegal to print, import, store, or distribute Bibles. Beyond legal restrictions, few Somalians, who face extreme poverty and food insecurity, can afford a copy. And because of poor infrastructure—less than half the country has electricity and even fewer have internet access—even digital Bibles are out of reach.
CT previously reported on how, in Africa, import costs from overseas or even from neighboring countries can drive Bible prices up two to three times the price in the US, putting Bibles further out of reach for poor Christians. A study Bible sold in Uganda—which ranks 7th for Bible shortages—could cost “the equivalent of at least $100 USD … a whole month’s rent,” one leader said.
In each of the four countries facing the most Bible shortages—the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and India—more than 10 million believers lack access to the Bible.
India ranks near the top for Bible scarcity, which leaders say is closely related to the restrictions and social hostility around Scripture. In some regions believers can read freely, while in others—particularly parts of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Manipur—Christians hide their Bibles or keep them wrapped in cloth to avoid attention.
“In many parts of India, especially where anti-conversion laws are enforced or communal hostility is high, owning a Bible can draw suspicion or even accusation. What should be a private act of devotion can quickly become a public issue,” said Vijayesh Lal, general secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of India.
Lal notes that 11 Indian states have anti-conversion laws that make sharing or publicly reading the Bible “a risky act.” He said pastors and ministry leaders have been detained, churches have been raided, and believers have been attacked for possessing or distributing Bibles. Even home Bible studies are sometimes accused of illegal proselytizing, he said.
Though owning a Bible is technically legal, Lal said there is a climate of deep suspicion, and in some regions, extremist groups are hostile to Christians. Bible shipments are sometimes stopped, and Lal said that in several states, mobs and authorities have confiscated Bibles.
“We have also seen mobs burn Scriptures with impunity. Under current regulations, the import or large-scale printing of Bibles is closely monitored, and restrictions on foreign funding have crippled several long-standing Christian organizations that once supplied Bibles to poorer communities,” he said.
The Bible Access List was developed by the Bible Access Initiative, a collaborative of Bible agencies, to identify where access to the Bible is most difficult and where shortages among Christians are greatest.
The initiative was founded by Open Doors International and the Digital Bible Society, and other agencies—including Frontlines International, Bible League International, Biblica, Bible League Canada, and OneHope—supported the work.
The Bible Access List highlights how complex the issue of Bible access can be. Legal restrictions, persecution, infrastructure challenges, economic barriers, and language gaps are the five primary reasons millions of Christians have difficulty accessing the Bible.
For the millions of believers who are illiterate, a physical Bible would be of little use. Across the globe, UNESCO estimates that 739 million adults over age 15 lack basic literacy skills.
For others, a Bible translation does not exist in their heart language.
“One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to solving the issues of Bible access globally,” said Jaap van Bezooijen, who oversaw the research and systems development for the Bible Access List. “Real Bible access means reaching people where they are, with the format they can use, at a time they can receive it safely.”
Many of the countries on the Bible Access List also appear on Open Doors’ World Watch List; Somalia is No. 2 on the World Watch List and the top country for Bible restrictions. But Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo appear much lower on the World Watch List while topping the Bible Access List for Bible shortages.
Nicolai said the number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa appearing on the Bible Access’ shortage list was one of the most surprising findings from the research.
“We hope to also become a guidepost for missions agencies as we understand what is happening around the world,” said Ken Bitgood, CEO of the Digital Bible Society.
As he spoke with CT, his organization was shipping microSD cards to northern India. He said the cards were loaded with thousands of resources, including audio Bibles, videos, and children’s programming. The cards slip into the back of most Android devices.
In other regions, an audio Bible on a solar-powered device makes the most sense.
Lal hopes the Western church will realize the Bible’s value to persecuted Christians. Throughout history, governments have sought to suppress Scripture, but they can never extinguish its message.
“But every time, it has emerged stronger,” Lal said.
