Where Bible Access is Most Restricted and Where Shortages Among Christians Are Greatest

44 1 77 27 47 19 45 80 76 30 26 53 37 68 55 23 71 43 17 13 54 5 42 82 63 87 64 83 52 40 36 10 48 65 22 11 4 41 33 39 59 75 81 8 24 74 6 28 31 12 62 79 38 46 18 32 66 51 29 21 49 34 67 70 16 9 78 73 3 61 25 35 57 14 86 7 15 58 60 69 72 20 56 50 2 84 85 62 73 9 56 35 26 60 16 25 71 69 1 28 15 20 7 21 78 65 27 37 2 22 48 57 19 8 4 61 38 66 14 59 81 49 54 39 58 55 43 40 72 68 13 76 45 34 80 11 36 10 63 3 33 41 67 30 77 50 12 44 31 42 46 79 23 52 24 32 70 47 64 74 51 6 5 53 29 75 17 18
  • Maximum restrictions
  • Extreme restrictions
  • Severe restrictions
  • Considerable restrictions
  • Some restrictions
  • Minimal restrictions
  • Not ranked or assessed
  • >10 million
  • 5-10 million
  • 3-5 million
  • 1-3 million
  • 500k-1m
  • 250-500k
  • 100-250k
  • 50-100k
  • 10-50k
  • <10k
  • Not estimated

Restrictions Rank

Shortage Rank

BAL 2026 Highlights

More than 500 million Christians worldwide face Bible access restrictions, while socioeconomic barriers put Scripture beyond the reach of millions more. Digital availability does not guarantee access: more than 400 million Christians across 42 countries live without internet access, while 277 million across 48 countries live where accessing Scripture online is unsafe or restricted.

Explore the findings and what changed in the 2026 report.

Key Findings on Worldwide Bible Access

Explore the major findings on where and why Bible access remains difficult.

Read the report

Understanding What Changed

See what changed from 2025 to 2026 and how those changes affect the results.

Read the companion paper

Watch the BAL 2026 announcement recording

Bible Access Initiative

The Bible Access Initiative is a collaborative of Bible agencies and mission partners that produces the Bible Access List (BAL), providing a clear, evidence-based global assessment of where access to the Bible is most restricted and where shortages among Christians are greatest.

2026 Steering Partners:

Bible League International Digital Bible Society Frontlines International Voice of the Martyrs YouVersion

2026 Research and Contributing Partners:

Biblica Close the Bible Gap OneHope Open Doors