Almost half of world's countries restrict access to Bible, report says

An illustrative image of the Bible. Photo: open sources

In December 2025, a new report by Open Doors and the Digital Bible Society was published, according to which almost half of the world's countries restrict or prohibit access to the Bible. The study covers 195 countries and records 88 countries where the Holy Scripture is unavailable or under strict control, as reported on the Open Doors website.

According to the presented data, Somalia stands out with the strictest restrictions, topping the international ranking of countries where access to the Bible is virtually impossible. It is followed by Afghanistan, Yemen, North Korea, Mauritania, Eritrea, Libya, Algeria, Iran, and Turkmenistan. Analysts pay special attention to China, which ranks 25th. The report notes that state control, censorship, and social surveillance make the religious life of the country strictly regulated, despite the image of an open economy.

The publication of the report elicited reactions from church leaders. Cardinal Joseph Zen stated that the situation in China requires special spiritual resilience and urged Christians to "return to the catacombs". According to him, participation in state-sanctioned church structures does not ensure genuine freedom of religion, so believers should remain "faithful to the truth that makes us free".

A separate section of the study concerns countries where there is the most acute shortage of Bibles. The Democratic Republic of the Congo leads, followed by Nigeria, Ethiopia, India, China, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, Indonesia, and Madagascar. In these countries, the problems are related to both political restrictions and the shortage of printed materials, logistics, and economic factors.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that a Canadian minister called for a ban on "hateful" Bible verses about LGBT people.

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