More than 500 million Christians worldwide face restrictions on access to the Bible

According to the new report “Bible Access List 2026,” published by the Bible Access Initiative, more than 500 million Christians worldwide face serious difficulties in accessing or using the Holy Scriptures. As reported by Christian Today, the obstacles range from government control and extremist violence to socioeconomic factors such as poverty and a lack of infrastructure.

The study covers 106 countries and notes that more than 250 million believers face “very difficult or severe” restrictions. In a number of countries, such as Afghanistan, North Korea, Somalia, and Eritrea, possession of a Bible can lead to imprisonment, torture, or the death penalty. In Afghanistan, according to the report’s authors, possessing Scripture is life-threatening, while in North Korea, Christians are forced to memorize passages by heart, as possessing a physical copy is considered an act of subversion.

In addition to direct persecution, experts highlight the issue of accessibility in the digital age. Approximately 277 million Christians live in countries where the online environment is strictly monitored and access to Christian resources is blocked. In countries such as Ethiopia, China, and Somalia, government surveillance systems make even reading the Bible digitally unsafe.

In addition to security concerns, the report points to a severe shortage of physical copies of the Bible. Researchers estimate that more than 125 million believers worldwide would like to have their own Bible but are unable to do so. The greatest shortages are observed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and India. In these regions, the main obstacles are often poverty, poor logistics, and a lack of sufficient print runs in the languages of local communities.

The report’s authors emphasize that the publication of this data is intended to serve as a “roadmap” for helping believers. Despite the challenges, in the 18 countries where religious persecution is minimal, the main problem remains the economic inaccessibility of books, which, according to experts, is a solvable issue through the creation of effective distribution networks.