Article source: evangelicalfocus.com

The Scripture Distribution Statistics report of the United Bible Societies shows that Bible societies worldwide distributed around 35.5 million Bibles in 2022.

That is around three million more copies than in 2021. After a sharp decline at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the upward trend of last year continued.

Brazil, USA and India
The countries with the highest Bible distribution in 2022 were Brazil (4.8 million), the USA (2.6 million) and India (2.5 million).

There was also an important increase in China, from 1.2 to 1.8 million Bibles, and in Buddhist-majority Cambodia, where the number of Bibles distributed doubled to 25 000.

Furthermore, most Bibles were distributed in Spanish (5.8 million), followed by English (5.4 million), Portuguese (4.9 million), and Mandarin with 1.8 million copies.

Digital Bible editions on rise
Around 28% of the Bibles distributed were downloaded from the internet, so that the share of digital Bible editions increased significantly in 2022.

Downloaded editions reached the pre-pandemic level of ten million copies. The total of all distributed biblical writings (individual biblical books, New Testaments and full Bibles) amounted to 166 million copies.

“The distribution of the Bible, like its translation, is rooted in the very depths of our fellowship”, says Dirk Gevers, General Secretary of the World Union.

Through the distribution of Bibles, they aim to “equally strengthen individuals and communities, promote spiritual growth and values such as generosity, compassion and unity that unite us worldwide”.

World Federation of Bible Societies
The Scripture Distribution Statistics, which is published annually, only take into account the figures of publishers and organisations that belong to the World Federation.

The World Federation of Bible Societies is the international association of 160 national Bible societies which are active in over 184 countries.

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Date published: 28/08/2023
Feature image: Children at a distribution campaign in Vietnam / Photo: United Bible Societies.

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