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How Many Languages Have a Bible?

Infographic sample

I know that you have been waiting with baited breath for the annual Bible translation statistics and here they are!

The highlight figures are on the right taken from a brilliant infographic that you can download, print and share with others. If you prefer your statistics in text format, you can get hold of them here.

There is known active translation and/or linguistic development happening in 2,167 languages across approximately 131 countries potentially impacting 1.9 billion people. This includes 692 languages for which there is no known Scripture; 197 languages with a Bible; 645 languages with a New Testament; and 651 languages with portions of Scripture, such as a book. Staff from organisations in the Wycliffe Global Alliance are believed to be involved in at least 79% of these programmes.

So, putting all this together, when will Bible translation actually be finished? I answered this question in a post a few years ago.

If English is anything to go by; the Christian church will still be translating and publishing new editions of the Bible in many different languages in the year 2425, unless the world has come to an end by then. One day, there will be no more need of Bible translation because we will all see God clearly, face to face. But until that day, we will need to keep on searching for good, accurate and natural ways of expressing the Greek and Hebrew text in all sorts of languages. We can no more finish Bible translation than we can finish the Great Commission.

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