Record number of Bibles distributed worldwide
2014 saw the highest number of printed Bibles ever distributed by Bible Societies around the world. Nearly 34 million full Bibles were distributed, a rise of 6% over 2013’s figures, and 14% higher than the number distributed in the first year of the decade. In total, 428.2 million Scriptures were distributed by Bible Societies in 2014, including full Bibles, Testaments, Gospels and other smaller Scripture items.
The region reporting the highest distribution in 2014, consistent with previous years, is the Americas, with 341.5 million Scriptures, including 14.4 million full Bibles. 7.6 million full Bibles were distributed in Brazil alone with a total of 288.7 million Scriptures! This was in no small part due to the many thousands of Scriptures handed out during the FIFA World Cup. We thank God that Bible Societies are taking opportunities like this to share the Word of God at special events around the world.
2014 brought some surprising opportunities also. More than five times the number of Testaments were distributed in war–torn Syria in 2014 than in 2010, before the conflict began. And, in the midst of one of the most difficult years in Ukraine’s recent history, last year the Bible Society there distributed nearly 70,000 New Testaments – 48% more than in 2012 and 10 times more than in 2010.
Bible Society supporters prayed into each of these situations and many others, so please continue to pray for the millions of people all over the world who have received these Scriptures – that they will take the message into their hearts.
With thanks to the Bible Society NI