The Bible fits in your pocket; 100 million lack it
Nearly 100 million believers in 88 countries cannot read their own Bible, according to the 2025 Bible Access List.
You open the Bible with a tap; others cross borders at night with a nearly 23-kilo sack. About 100 million believers in 88 countries cannot read their own copy, according to the 2025 Bible Access List.
That number is about a fifth of the church worldwide. And the largest group remains huge. More than 1.5 billion people do not have the complete Bible in their language; 123 million do not have any portion in the language they speak at home, according to the United Bible Societies.
From 2,000 languages pending to 544
Translation is advancing like few times in history. In 2020 there were more than 2,000 languages waiting for a translation project to begin; by August 2025 the line had dropped to 544, according to the Wycliffe Global Alliance. Each figure represents communities that today hear Scripture for the first time.
«Whoever carries the Word also ends up listening to it»
The pending work remains. A translation being ready does not mean it has reached a home. Some have the text nearby and cannot read; some read it in a language that is not their own; and some live where possessing that book is considered a crime.
Behind every figure there are concrete people: churches that meet wherever they can, families that have gone years without hearing Scripture in their own language. Access to the text has never been an extra of the gospel.
When the scroll is not enough
Acts 8 tells of an Ethiopian official who was traveling while reading the prophet Isaiah. He had the scroll in his hands, he knew how to read, and he was returning from worship in Jerusalem. When Philip asked him if he understood what he was reading, he answered: "How can I, unless someone guides me?" (Acts 8:31, ESV).
That scene repeats today with other means. Where the law closes doors, Scripture travels in audio: small, solar-powered players with the Bible read aloud. Where the risk is greater, it fits on a memory card kept in a cell phone. Where there is illiteracy, someone listens with others and learns by ear.
Whoever carries the Word also ends up listening to it. God sustains his book when governments change and laws are rewritten: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away" (Matthew 24:35, ESV).
What you can do with the one you already have
Your Bible is one tap away. No one is going to take it from you for reading it on the bus, nor do you have to hide it on a memory card. That leaves you a simple task: do not leave it closed.
Start by listening. Play a chapter in audio while you go to school or work, or read aloud with someone younger than you. Then pray: for those translating those 544 pending languages and for the brothers and sisters who risk something every time they open the book.
There are believers who walk at night so that others can hear a chapter. You can open yours without a border and without a sack on your shoulder. What will you do with the Bible that is already in your hands?
