More than 500 million Christians worldwide face restrictions that make accessing the Bible difficult, according to a new global assessment of Scripture access.
The second annual Bible Access List, released by the Bible Access Initiative, examines Bible access in 106 countries and highlights the impact of persecution, poverty, infrastructure and digital restrictions on people’s ability to access Scripture.
Wybo Nicolai, co-founder of the Bible Access List, told Premier Christian News that restrictions can affect every stage of getting a Bible into the hands of Christians.
“We have restrictions for printing of Bibles. We have restriction on importation of Bibles. We have restrictions on storage of Bibles, we have restrictions on distribution of Bibles, and we see restrictions on actually the possession of Bibles as well,” he said.
The report says more than 500 million Christians face such setbacks through government controls, extremist violence, and family and community pressure, including more than 250 million for whom access is very difficult.
Nicolai said the consequences can be severe. “It can be a fine," he said. "It can be a confiscation of the Bible, but in other countries, your life will be in danger.”
The 2026 Bible Restrictions List is:
- Afghanistan
-
Yemen
-
Somalia
-
North Korea
-
Eritrea
Afghanistan has moved up from third place in the 2025 assessment, while Somalia has moved from first to third. North Korea has risen from sixth to fourth.
Alongside socioeconomic barriers, the assessment considers factors including legal restrictions, social hostility and pressure from extremist or other non-state groups,
“There are certain movements active in a country who dislike, if not hate, Christians,” Nicolai said, adding that “radical Hindu factions” are also attacking Christians and destroying Bibles.
He said: “There can be family pressure when you have moved away from a main dominant religion in a particular country and have become a follower of Jesus Christ."
The Bible Access List also measures countries where Christians want a Bible but do not yet have one.
The top five countries on the 2026 Bible Shortage List are:
-
Democratic Republic of Congo
-
Ethiopia
-
Nigeria
-
India
-
Uganda
The report says more than 550 million Christians across 33 countries face severe socioeconomic limitations, including poverty, poor infrastructure, limited electricity, low literacy and limited internet access. Across these countries, an estimated 82 million Christians are without a Bible.
Nicolai explained that the size of the Christian population is an important factor. “If you look to the size of a church, then all of a sudden you get a very different perspective, because there is a very large church in DRC Congo, in Ethiopia, in Nigeria, in India, and then all of a sudden millions of Christians would like to have a Bible and don't have one yet.”
The report also highlights the limits of relying on digital Bibles to solve the global access problem. More than 400 million Christians across 42 countries are estimated to live without internet access, while 277 million Christians across 48 countries live in places where accessing scripture online is unsafe or restricted.
Nicolai said digital Bible availability is an important development, but cannot remove every barrier. “The Bible can be made available online, but when you don't have access to the internet, it doesn't work.”
He added: “Christian websites are being blocked, and when you take the courage to look for a Christian website, maybe the secret police will visit you, and you are in trouble because of looking for a Bible online.”
The Bible Access List is intended to encourage Christians to pray for persecuted believers and become involved in helping provide Bibles where access is limited.
“Our vision for this project is also that it will attract a lot of attention, leading to much more prayer for Bible distribution, and that it will inspire Christians to be engaged in Bible distribution in places where people do not have easy access to the Bible, or even when it is forbidden,” Nicolai added.
The Bible Access Initiative is led by Bible League International, Digital Bible Society, Frontlines International, The Voice of the Martyrs and YouVersion.
