More than 500 million Christians worldwide face restrictions on obtaining or using a Bible, with government controls, extremist violence and pressure from families and communities making access difficult or dangerous, according to a new report.
The Bible Access List 2026 estimates that more than 250 million of these Christians face very difficult or severe restrictions, with believers in some countries risking imprisonment or death for possessing Scripture.
Published by the Bible Access Initiative, a partnership of Bible agencies and ministries, the assessment covers 106 countries and examines both barriers to access and shortages among Christians who want a Bible.
Afghanistan ranks top of the Bible Restrictions List, followed by Yemen, Somalia, North Korea and Eritrea. Also in the top 10 are Mauritania, Turkmenistan, Libya, Sudan and Iran.
“In Afghanistan, God's Word is the most dangerous book any Afghan can possess, and discovery can cost them their life,” the report says.
In North Korea, even keeping a copy at home can carry severe consequences.
“In North Korea, every dimension of Bible access is prohibited. Christians are treated as enemies of the state, and a Bible discovered in a routine house search can mean execution or a life sentence in a forced labor camp,” the report says.
It continues: “Believers rely on memorized Scripture, because a physical Bible is too dangerous to keep. Here the question is not how many Bibles are needed, but how one can be kept at all.”
Restrictions affect every stage of supplying Scripture. Printing is prohibited or severely restricted in 39 countries, as is distribution, while importing faces comparable restrictions in 38 countries. Storing Scripture is prohibited or severely restricted in 37 countries, and personal ownership in 34.
Even digital editions cannot guarantee safe access, with an estimated 277 million Christians in 48 countries facing an online environment that is unsafe, restricted or monitored. Barriers include surveillance and the blocking of Christian websites.
“In Eritrea, phones are inspected at checkpoints, and the state monitors Christian content online,” the report says.
“In Ethiopia, Christian websites are intermittently blocked. In China, foreign Christian websites are blocked, Bible apps have been removed from app stores, and a new online ID system makes digital activity increasingly traceable.”
In Somalia, Scripture is available online but accessing it is dangerous.
“The full Bible exists in a major national language and digitally, yet government monitoring makes online access dangerous, and extremist groups watch for Bible use and distribution. The translation exists. The digital Bible exists. Safe access does not,” the report says.
A companion paper identifies several countries where conditions have worsened since 2025. These include Mali, Burkina Faso and Syria, where expanding extremist control and worsening insecurity have intensified restrictions on Bible access. Venezuela rose 17 places on the restrictions list due to increased restrictions on importing and printing Bibles.
By contrast, countries such as Uganda and Mozambique saw improvements in Bible access due to reduced violence.
For millions of Christians, access is limited by factors such as poverty, poor infrastructure, illiteracy, physical remoteness and limited internet access. They may be legally free to own Scripture but unable to obtain or use a copy.
Across the different barriers to access, the report estimates that more than 125 million Christians in 81 countries want a Bible but do not have one.
“A Bible that exists somewhere is not necessarily accessible to the person who wants it,” the report says.
The largest estimated shortages are in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Nigeria and India, each with more than 10 million Christians who want a Bible but lack one.
In the DRC, fewer than one in three believers owns a Bible despite there being no legal restrictions on access.
Of the 33 countries facing the most severe socioeconomic barriers, 15 also have significant persecution-related restrictions. In the other 18, persecution-related restrictions are minimal or absent, pointing to opportunities for affordable or free distribution.
Online publishing cannot fully bridge the gap, as more than 400 million Christians across 42 countries are estimated to lack internet access. There are further obstacles to be found in covering the cost of devices and internet connection.
Some smaller language communities also lack printed copies even though translations were completed decades ago. This is because a small print run makes it expensive to produce more copies.
The estimated global shortage is higher than the figure of more than 100 million reported in 2025. However, the companion paper says the higher figure reflects the inclusion of more countries this year and improvements in gathering evidence, rather than simply an increase in the number of Christians needing a Bible.
The main report believes that creating stronger delivery networks and safer ways for believers to access Scripture could go some way to addressing the challenges.
“The Bible Access List is more than a picture of the problem; it helps show where action is possible,” it says.
“An estimated 54 million Bibles are needed in 18 countries where persecution-related restrictions are minimal or absent and socioeconomic barriers are the primary obstacle. Elsewhere, the challenges are more complex, but the need is no less urgent.”
It adds: “Country by country, the findings provide a clearer roadmap for prayer and action.”
