YouVersion, the creator of the popular Bible App, has announced a major tech milestone: its family of apps has surpassed one billion device installs. This places it among the most downloaded mobile applications in history.
The company revealed the landmark number as part of a record-breaking year for its platform. Key growth metrics announced include:
- 12% increase in global app installs year-over-year.
- 18% increase in daily usage compared to the previous year.
- One billion app opens globally every 39 days.
‘Lite’ App Drives Growth in Africa
A significant driver of this growth, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, has been the “Bible App Lite.” This version is specifically designed for regions with device and data limitations.
In the past year, YouVersion’s apps were installed 37.1 million times across Sub-Saharan Africa. The “Bible App Lite” accounted for 27.7 million of those installs, demonstrating the success of its strategy to create a data-light version for emerging markets.
The YouVersion platform’s scale now includes:
- Over 3,600 Bible translations.
- Content available in over 2,300 languages, including Swahili, Xhosa, and Zulu.
- A global network of over 31,000 partners.
According to Joseph Gachira, YouVersion Hub Leader in Kenya, the growth highlights how data-light features and offline downloads are successfully driving digital engagement with the app across the continent.
To celebrate the milestone, YouVersion is launching a “Global Bible Month” this November, encouraging users to participate in a 30-day reading challenge.
