42.4%
GLOBAL OVERVIEW(1)
Based on religion
31.1% Christian
25% gospel access*
42.2% unreached
Based on Population
World population 7.83 billion
Population in UPGs: 3.29 billion
% of population in UPGs: 42.0%
Based on People Groups
Total People Groups: 17,433
Total UPGS: 7,418
% of people in UPG: 42.6%
*Access to the Gospel but not following Jesus
3.2 billion
no access
UNREACHED & UNSAVED. No witnessing community within their people group or area
41%
2.14 billion
no access
UNDER-REACHED & UNSAVED. Most have never had a clear presentation of the Gospel, although it is nearby
28%
1.56 billion
no access
REACHED BUT NOT SAVED. Some knowledge of the Gospel, nominal acceptance, “Traditional Christians” in name only
20%
900 million
no access
REACHED & SAVED. True followers of Christ
11%
Based on access(3)
Progress by
people group(5)
Unreached
42.6%
7,418 People Groups (42.6%)
Few evangelicals and few who identify as Christians. Little, if any, history of Christianity.
Minimally reached
6.5%
1,126 People Groups (6.5%)
Few evangelicals, but significant number who identify as Christians.
Superficially reached
10.4%
1,812 People Groups (10.4%)
Few evangelicals, but many who identify as Christians. In great need of spiritual renewal and commitment to biblical faith.
Partially reached
21.8%
3,793 People Groups (21.8%)
Evangelicals have a modest presence.
Significantly reached
18.8%
3,284 People Groups (18.8%)
Evangelicals have a significant presence.
Summary of
Other World
Religions(1)
Muslims
1.899 billion worldwide
4,048 total people groups
3,470 UPGs
86.3% unreached
24.3% of world population
Hindus
1.183 billion worldwide
2,491 people groups
2,287 UPGs
91.8% unreached
15.1% of world population
Unreligious
1.006 billion worldwide
265 people groups
17 UPGs
6.4% unreached
12.9% of world population
Buddhists
503 million worldwide
676 total people groups
528 UPGs
78.1% unreached
6.4% of world population
Tribals(2)
161 million worldwide
704 people groups
Money and
Missions
$53
Trillion(4)
what Christians Earn: $53 Trillion annual income of all church members
$896
Billion(4)
given to any Christian cause (also how much we spend in America on Christmas)
$52
Billion(4)
given to missions
How Christian
Giving Is Used(5)
$734 Billion
used for pastoral ministries of local churches (mostly in Christian nations)
82%
$107.5 Billion
used for “home missions” in same Christian nations
12%
$51.7 Billion
goes toward un-evangelized non-Christian world
5.7%
$880 Million
goes toward unreached peoples
1.7%
Hypothetical
Observations(7)
Evangelical Christians could provide all of the funds needed to plant a church in each of the 7,400 UPGs with only 0.03% of their income
The Church has roughly 3,000 times the financial resources and 9,000 times the manpower needed to finish the Great Commission. If every evangelical gave 10% of their income to missions we could easily support 2 million new missionaries
Missionaries
Worldwide
433,700 foreign missionaries in the world (estimated) (5)
337,000 foreign missionaries in the reached world (77.3%)
85,000 foreign missionaries in the unevangelized world (19.4%)
11,700 foreign missionaries in the unreached world (2.7%) (8)
Observations(7)
Only 1 of every 209,086 Christians goes as a missionary to the unreached
There are 54,000 evangelical Christians for every 1 UPG
30:1 (for every 30 missionaries that go to the reached people groups of the world, appx. 1 missionary goes to an unreached people group) (1)
Muslims
1 for every 405,000
Buddhists
1 for every 260,000
Hindus
1 for every 179,000
Unreligious
1 for every 71,000
Tribals
1 for every 60,000
Bible Translation(9)
7,378
Total languages in the world
717
Languages with a complete Bible
1582
Languages with a complete New Testament (also have some Old Testament portions)
1196
Languages with some translated Bible portions
Languages with
no Bible Translation
828
Languages have work in progress
1892
Languages need translation (or preparatory work) to begin
1119
Languages that are not vital enough to plan translation work
44
Languages served by Scripture in another language
The need
6661
languages do not have a full Bible in their first language
1892
languages need translation work to begin
10/40 Window(1)
69.7%
(6,182) of these people groups are considered unreached
5.21 Billion
total people in 10/40 Window
3.18 Billion
total people UNREACHED in 10/40 Window
10/40 Facts
1/3
of earth’s total land area
2/3
of the world’s people reside in the 10/40 window
80%+
of the poorest of the poor live in the 10/40 window
60%
of UPGs live in countries closed to missionaries from North America(7)
Missions
Awareness(10)
70%
of evangelical Christians are unaware that there are still people who have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ
29%
of Christians believe that reaching the unreached around the world is “very urgent”
Have churchgoers heard of the great commission?
No
51%
Yes, but I can’t recall its exact meaning
25%
Yes, and it means…
17%
7%
I’m not sure
Footnotes.
All mission stats updated May 2022
- 1. The Joshua Project. https://joshuaproject.net/.
- 2. Ralph D. Winter and Bruce A. Koch. Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader. 4th ed. (Pasadena: William Carey Library, 2009), 541.
- 3. Marvin J. Newell. A Third of Us: What it Takes to Reach the Unreached. (Pasadena: William Carey Publishing, 2021), 7.
- 4. “Status of Global Christianity,” Center for the Study of Global Christianity, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, 2021, https://www.gordonconwell.edu/center-for-global-christianity/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2020/12/Status-of-Global-Christianity-2021.pdf.
- 5. Todd M. Johnson & Gina A. Zurlo, eds. World Christian Database (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2015).
- 6. David B. Barrett and Todd M. Johnson. World Christian Trends Table (Pasadena: William Carey Library, 2001) Table 20-3, lines 23-26, 44.
- 7. The Traveling Team. “Missions Stats.” 2015. http://www.thetravelingteam.org/stats.
- 8. Todd M. Johnson and Gina A. Zurlo, eds. World Christian Database (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2022).
- 9. Wycliffe Global Alliance. “2021 Scripture Access Statistics.” 2022. https://www.wycliffe.net/resources/statistics/.
- 10. Barna Group. “Translating The Great Commission.” Barna Report, 2018.