100 million Christians worldwide lack access to a Bible

From Christian daily international

A new global assessment has found that an estimated 100 million Christians live without access to a Bible, revealing both legal restrictions and severe shortages across dozens of countries.

The Bible Access List, released Thursday by the Bible Access Initiative, combines data and expert analysis from 88 countries to identify where Scripture is most difficult to obtain. The report ranks Somalia, Afghanistan, Yemen, North Korea, and Mauritania as the five countries with the highest restrictions, while the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Ethiopia, India, and China top the list for the greatest shortages among Christians.

“While there are many misconceptions about Bible access worldwide, the Bible Access List highlights the complexities and nuances of the issue,” said Ken Bitgood, founder and CEO of the Digital Bible Society, one of the initiative’s founding partners. “Unfettered access to the Bible is not a universal standard.”

The Bible Restrictions List measures barriers such as government bans, extremist activity, and socioeconomic factors that block Bible distribution. The Bible Shortage List estimates the number of Christians who want a Bible but have not been able to obtain one.

From Christian daily international