That’s how many times the Bible App has now been installed. 200 million times, somewhere in the world, a person has decided they want to be more intentional about spending time in God’s Word. 200 million times, a person has thought, “What if I could read the Bible…anywhere?” Then, once they begin engaging with the Bible, they discover that it is actually alive—that it has the power to change the world…one heart at a time.
While most in the U.S. express strong support that everyone who wants a Bible should be able to have one, few have a clear grasp of the big picture of Bible access, according to the 2015 State of the Bible report just released by American Bible Society. The findings bring key insight about Bible availability and more:
Most people (98% of those surveyed) believe everyone should be free to own and read the Bible.
“Eighty-eight percent of American households own at least one Bible, with the average household owning about four copies”
Geof Morin, American Bible Society
Most (72%) also believe that’s already happening. Unfortunately, it’s simply not the case:
More than half of the world’s 6,901 languages still do not have a complete Bible translation. For speakers of more than 1,859 languages, God simply doesn’t speak their language. Translation of the Bible hasn’t even started in the language they use in their everyday conversations. They’ve never heard truths in their heart language, something most of us take for granted:
And for an additional 2,195 languages, speakers only have part of the Bible available in their language.
Sharing the vision, continuing the work
We live in a unique time in history, equipped with tools that can help us reach more people than ever before with the Gospel. In fact, we have the potential to see the realization of a goal that past generations could only dream about. In our lifetime, we could see the Bible translated into every language on earth. This is only possible thanks to a broad coalition of partners like American Bible Society, publishers, authors, translators, and YouVersion volunteers around the globe. We are working together in unprecedented ways so that every person in the world can connect with the Bible, no matter where they live or what language they speak.
All day on Sunday, followers and seekers of Christ all over the world were turning to the Bible to read, listen to, and watch the Easter story of Christ’s trial, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. During Holy Week, the number of people opening passages about Jesus’ final week on earth increased by almost 250% over the four weeks preceding Easter.
Bible Engagement Around the World
Glowing dots on this time-lapse map show where the Bible App was opened (the brighter the area, the more opens). The gradations sliding across the world indicate the time of day, with the flags on the left showing which country was engaging most through the Bible App at that time.
Holy Week Engagement
Here’s a snapshot of just some of what was happening across the global YouVersion community during Holy Week, which includes Easter and the six days leading up to it:
Top 5 Most Bible-Engaged Countries United States, South Africa, Brazil, Great Britain, and South Korea
Top 10 Countries with the most growth in Easter engagement 102% Dominica 91% South Sudan 86% Lithuania 84% Palestine 83% Niger 78% Bulgaria 77% Armenia 72% Myanmar 72% Kazakhstan 71% Albania
Most Popular Verse Easter Weekend
Not only was Romans 5:8 the most-shared Bible verse overall, it was also the most-shared in several countries (in various languages and translations): Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, South Africa, Philippines, Singapore, Colombia, Russia, Argentina, and France.
Many of top verses for Holy Week were also shared as Verse Images from the Bible App:
Top 5 most Bible-engaged languages
English, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, and French
Bible Plan Engagement
Engagement was also up significantly in another key area for the YouVersion community: Bible Plan subscriptions and completions. Lent 2015 saw an 85% increase in Bible Plan subscriptions and 141% increase in Bible plan completions when compared to Lent 2014.
Help us Spread the Word
A revolution in Bible engagement is taking place in this generation, all over the world. And you can be a part of it, first by consistently spending time in the Bible, and second, by helping others discover the Bible App. Click below to share this good news with your friends and family:
If you use the Bible App, then you’re an important part of a global milestone:
YouVersion now offers more than 1,000 Bible versions, in more than 700 languages.
Imagine millions of people all over the world, gathering together in unity around God’s Word. But even that offers just a glimpse of all that this milestone could mean. So we’ve put together this special infographic for you, to help give context for this genuinely historic event:
The 1,000th version is Deftera Lfida Dzratawi (XEDNT), the first digital translation of the New Testament into Hdi (pronounced huh-DEE). Read on our blog about how its translators discovered a lost Hdi word that perfectly describes God’s love!
