A rise in Bible app use during Holy Week has revealed increased global engagement with scripture, according to a leading developer.

The founder of YouVersion said that “over the last several months, worldwide interest in the Bible has continued to increase", adding that people were “searching for and consistently coming back to scripture for guidance, encouragement, and answers".

An average of 18.7 million people accessed its apps each day during Holy Week, rising to 21.6 million on Easter Day, the highest figure in the organisation’s history.

The most popular verse was Matthew 28:6, which reads: “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.”

Worldwide engagement grew by 15% compared with last year, with increases of 37% in Sub-Saharan Africa and 22% in Latin America.

YouVersion was launched in 2006 by Life.Church, to “be a kind of I.T. department for churches everywhere”, according to The New York Times.

The founder of the app, Bobby Gruenewald, said: "We especially see this at Easter, where more people are either reflecting on their faith, or trying to understand who Jesus was for themselves."

He added: "Seeing people around the world encounter scripture, many for the first time, is exactly why we do this.”

A poll commissioned by the Bible Society and carried out by Christian Research in 2021 found that 30% of practising Christians used an app to read the Bible.