Wycliffe Bible Translators reports record progress in global translation efforts

Wycliffe Bible Translators announced significant advancements in global Scripture access in its latest State of the Bible report, released on International Translation Day. Over the past year, 28 complete Bibles and 70 New Testaments were launched, bringing the total number of languages with a complete Bible to 807. This milestone provides approximately 6.2 billion people with access to the full text of the Bible in their native language.

According to the report, translation work is currently active in 4,414 languages, covering roughly 60 percent of the world's estimated 7,400 languages. The organization noted that the number of languages requiring translation work but lacking any current activity has dropped to 543, a significant decrease from nearly 1,900 five years ago. Despite this progress, Wycliffe estimates that 20 percent of the global population still lacks a complete Bible in their primary language.

James Poole, executive director of Wycliffe, emphasized that while the statistical growth is encouraging, the ultimate goal remains enabling people to engage with the message of Jesus. The organization continues its "chasing zero" initiative, aiming to provide Scripture access to all remaining language communities.