The Christian Bible stands as the most widely distributed book in history, with estimates suggesting between 5 and 7 billion copies have been produced since its contents were standardized approximately 1500 years ago. This figure comes from research conducted by the British and Foreign Bible Society in 2021 (British and Foreign Bible Society, 2021).
Prior to the invention of the printing press, Bible production was a laborious and expensive process. Complete handwritten editions were rare and highly valued due to the extensive time and resources required for their creation.
The mid-15th century saw a dramatic shift with the advent of printing technology. Following Johannes Gutenberg’s groundbreaking Bible in 1454, European printers are believed to have produced around 15 million books over the next five decades, with Bibles comprising a significant portion of this output. As printing methods improved and literacy rates climbed, Bible production accelerated. By 1815, it’s estimated that the cumulative number of printed Bibles had reached approximately 1.3 billion (Brake, 2008).
A pivotal moment in Bible distribution occurred in the early 19th century with the establishment of Bible Societies. These organizations, driven by their Christian mission, ordered Bibles in massive quantities for free distribution or sale at cost. This shift meant that from this point forward, the majority of Bibles were freely distributed rather than sold commercially. The British and Foreign Bible Society, founded in 1804, calculated that between 1815 and 1975, an impressive 2,458,000,000 Bibles were printed (British and Foreign Bible Society, Historical Catalogue, 1979).
In recent years, Bible production has continued at a remarkable pace. According to data from United Bible Societies, the global umbrella organization for Bible Societies, approximately 80 million Bibles are printed annually in the 21st century (United Bible Societies Annual Report, 2020).
The enduring popularity of the Bible as a printed work, despite the rise of digital media, underscores its ongoing cultural and religious significance.
Bible Sales
According to this site, 20 million Bibles are sold each year.
- The number of bibles sold on average has more than doubled in the US since 1950 with:
- 20 million bibles sold each year
- 1.66 million bibles sold each month
- 384,615 bibles sold per week
- 54,945 bibles sold every day
- 2,289 bibles sold per hour
- 38 bibles sold per minute
- 6.4 bibles sold every 10 seconds
- In addition to the bibles sold, another 115,055 bibles are given away or distributed every day
- The US accounts for a quarter of newly printed bible sales every year
Leave a Reply