Following the record levels achieved in 2020, the YouVersion community maintained a high interest in the Bible in 2021. The Bible verse that reached the top spot as the Verse of the Year 2021 on YouVersion, based on which verses were shared, bookmarked, and highlighted most often during the year, is:
But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
(Gospel of Matthew, Chap. 6, verse 33*)
"We are encouraged to see the high levels of interest in the Bible again this year because it means people are turning to God and the Bible for answers to their questions. Even our Verse of the Year 2021 shows the desire in the hearts of everyone in the YouVersion community to seek God and to know Him more," says Bobby Gruenewald, founder of YouVersion.
Pandemic patterns reinforce themselves in 2021
Before the pandemic, YouVersion registered increased levels of interest in the Bible every Sunday, usually with 20% more interest than the rest of the days of the week. However, there has been a significant change in patterns over the past two years. In March 2020, when people could not attend church, weekly interest in the Bible increased by 10% and continued to grow over the following weeks. Once churches began reopening, the heightened interest in the Bible each Sunday returned, but not at the expense of the weekly Bible reading habits that had been built. In 2021, the interest in the Bible from Monday through Saturday was 24% higher compared to levels before the pandemic.
YouVersion has also observed increased use of some of the features offered by the app for communal use, and these levels remained high in 2021. In particular, the interest in following a Bible reading plan with a friend sharply increased during the lockdown period and continued to have 50% more subscriptions in 2021 compared to pre-pandemic levels.
"Noting a record in 2020, we are very pleased to see how many people continue to have the same daily interest in the Bible as in the past year," says Gruenewald. "Their interest has outgrown that initial moment of need and is deepening, deepening their relationship with God."
Global growth continues post-pandemic
The geographic areas with the fastest growth both in terms of BibleApp installations and daily interest in the Bible are Central Africa and South Asia. In particular, Congo marks a 49% increase in interest in the Bible, and Pakistan sees a 69% increase year over year. In each of these regions, sharing Bible verses, watching videos, and Bible searches and supplementary materials remain high throughout the year.
This November, the YouVersion app surpassed 500 million unique installations. People who install the app anywhere in the world also continue to use it regularly to read the Bible from it.
In 2021 alone, the YouVersion community has:
- Read 55.8 billion chapters
- Listened to 8.2 billion chapters in audio format
- Created 2.4 billion highlights, bookmarks, and notes
- Completed 1.4 billion days from Bible reading plans
About YouVersion
Created by Life.Church, YouVersion's BibleApp offers various Bible-related experiences aimed at encouraging and challenging people to seek God every day. It provides free access to the Bible in more than 1750 languages and is installed on over 500 million unique devices. BibleApp For Kids (YouVersion's Bible app specifically made for children), created in partnership with OneHope in 2013, helps children engage with Bible stories through interactive animations and fun activities. It is installed on more than 76 million unique devices.
*Bible quote based on the text from Bible, new translation from the original languages © Bulgarian Bible Society 2013.
Link to the original article: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/youversion-reveals-2021-verse-of-the-year-and-bible-app-trends-301434951.html
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