According to the 2023 annual review of the YouVersion Family of Apps, which includes Bible App, Bible App Lite, and Bible App for Kids, Bible use and installs increased at higher rates than ever before in 2023.

Each month this year ranked among the highest months of use of all time in the 15 year history of YouVersion, both in downloads and daily usage.

Installs increased by over 100 million devices, breaking the previous record from 2020 of 76 million installs in one year. Meanwhile, daily Bible use grew by 20% compared to 2022, leading to about 12 million people engaging with the Bible each day.

For Bobby Gruenewald, founder and CEO of YouVersion, those “impressively high rates” are not “just a momentary surge but something that will last. We anticipate an even greater level of excitement around Bible engagement in the years to come”.

Africa, Latin America and India: fastest growth

Today, more than 80% of YouVersion installs take place outside of the United States, with India, Africa, and Latin America among the top three.

Africa throughout 2023, “saw a boom in Bible engagement”, especially in daily use. Across the continent, daily Bible use was up 98% compared to last year, and several countries saw triple-digit growth including Kenya (225%), Cameroon (229%), and Uganda (288%).

That was partially due to the launch of Bible App Lite in October 2022, which helps people in areas with device and data limitations to access God’s Word. Since then, it was installed 17.2 million times in Africa alone. In Kenya, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bible App Lite even hit the number one spot in the Google Play Store.

Latin America had a 107% rise in installs across the region and exceptional increases in countries such as Venezuela (396%), Argentina (156%) and Uruguay (129%).

YouVersion worked with about 475 Spanish-speaking partners to launch nearly 1,000 new Spanish Bible Plans in 2023.

The other fastest-growing region for the YouVersion Family of Apps in 2023 was India, with a 53% increase in installs compared to last year.

People in India engaged with more than 700 versions of the Bible in over 350 languages. Children in India also engaged with Scripture at higher rates this year.

100 new languages

The report also points out that “with the generous help of Bible societies and publishers in countries around the world, YouVersion was able to add more than 200 versions of the Bible in 100 new languages this year”.

The Bible App now surpasses 3,000 Bible versions in 2,000 languages, and offers devotional content through more than 30,000 Bible Plans in 84 languages.

“More than ever before, we are seeing the global Church unify around God’s Word, and it is exciting to think about how many more people will grow closer to God because of the passion and commitment of our partners to work together”, said Gruenewald.

Isaiah 41:10

In addition to all those data, the annual review also shows that for the third year since 2020, Isaiah 41:10 is the most highlighted, bookmarked, and shared verse of the year.

According to Gruenewald, “from a global perspective, we have all been through a lot in the last few years, so it is no surprise that people continue to feel drawn to the hope and peace promised in Isaiah 41:10”.

“Even though there is a lot of fear and anxiety felt around the world, we believe faith is the answer, and it is encouraging to see people continue to cling to God and His Word in their greatest moments of need”, concluded the YouVersion CEO.