YouVersion, the free Bible App, says "anxiety", "hope" and "healing" were among the words people searched most in Scripture this year, and that Psalm 91 topped them all. The ministry released its 2026 figures on Tuesday 6 October. By its own count, 18.5 million people now open its apps every day, up more than 13 per cent on 2025. It also ranks Australia 15th in the world for daily use.

If those numbers hold, that's a lot of people reaching for the Bible on an ordinary day. And YouVersion says the words they're typing in hint at why.

What the world searched for

YouVersion is run by Life.Church, a church based in Oklahoma, and it started in 2007. In its global announcement, it said the Bible App and its sister apps passed one billion installs last November. It says they've added more than 160 million new installs in 2026, and that daily use grew faster than installs. "People aren't just downloading the app, they're returning to it," the ministry said.

Photo: Ryk Neethling / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0), cropped

Then there's the search box. YouVersion says "anxiety", "hope" and "healing" were among the year's most searched terms, with "Psalm 91" the single most searched. It described the Psalm as one that "encourages readers to turn to God for refuge and comfort in difficult times."

If you don't know it by number, you might know the opening. In the King James Version, Psalm 91 begins: "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." The next verse calls the Lord "my refuge and my fortress."

YouVersion is careful not to read too much into it. Its Australian release notes that search data "cannot explain an individual user's circumstances or beliefs." But it says the Psalm's themes of refuge, protection and comfort point to one reason people may be opening Scripture when life feels uncertain.

Australia in the top 15

Here's the part closest to home. YouVersion's Australian release, issued from Sydney the same day, says Australia ranks 15th in the world for daily use of its apps. It says it's recorded 8.5 million installs here, with a new one coming in, on average, every 48 seconds.

And Psalm 91 wasn't just the world's top search. YouVersion says it was the most searched term in Australia too.

Australians did something else that stood out last year. During Global Bible Month in November 2025, YouVersion says Australian users earned more badges for daily Bible engagement than users in any other country. And it says that reading isn't confined to Sunday. People are reading or listening "on the commute, at home, during a lunch break or before bed."

"Every day, more Australians are choosing to open the Bible App, showing there is a real and sustained interest in Scripture," said Dave Adamson, YouVersion's Australia Director. "Last year, Australians led the world in consistent Bible engagement during Global Bible Month. We're excited to see people make space for the Bible again this November, whether they've read the Bible for years, are opening it for the first time or returning to it for the first time in a long time."

YouVersion says it works with more than 5,500 churches, ministries and content creators in Australia.

Two stories behind the numbers

The Australian release also tells two stories. These are YouVersion's accounts, and here's how it tells them.

In Melbourne, a man named Ethan found a lost iPhone. He couldn't unlock it, so he kept it charged so its owner could track it down. Over the next few days, one notification kept popping up on the home screen. It was YouVersion's Verse of the Day. Curiosity got the better of him, and he downloaded the Bible App himself. YouVersion describes him as a committed atheist who began reading the Bible for the first time and later connected with a local church. In time, it says, Ethan, his wife and their daughters all committed their lives to Christ and were baptised together.

The second is about a man named Steve. For years, YouVersion says, he'd talked with friends about faith without feeling able to voice his deeper questions. So he searched on his own and listened to Scripture through the app. Months later he surprised his friends with a message saying that through listening to the Bible, he'd encountered Jesus and become a Christian.

"Behind every app open is a person," Adamson said. "These personal stories remind us that people are opening the Bible for all sorts of reasons, sometimes through curiosity, sometimes because they're searching for answers, hope or meaning. That's the story we're most interested in."

Global Bible Month returns in November

The figures are a run-up to Global Bible Month, which runs from 1 to 30 November 2026. At its centre is the 30-Day Bible Challenge, and the official site puts the invitation simply: "30 days. God's Word. You in?" You can take part with a paper Bible, the Bible App, Bible App Lite, the Bible App for Kids or Bible Loop. Churches can sign up to run a message series on the Bible during the month.

Last year was the first. YouVersion says nearly 3 million people around the world signed up. This year the challenge comes back with a new feature that lets you track your progress and see how your friends are going alongside you.

In Australia, YouVersion names Alpha, The Salvation Army and Compassion among the partners joining in. Around the world, it's putting Scripture up in some of the busiest public spaces on earth. That's Times Square in New York, Piccadilly Circus in London and the Dotonbori district in Osaka, with The Chosen, BibleProject and 24-7 Prayer featured.

"This year, we've been encouraged by how many people are turning to Scripture for answers to their questions," said Bobby Gruenewald, YouVersion's founder and chief executive. "Global Bible Month is our chance to celebrate that and invite even more people to experience it for themselves, whether that's reading the Bible in their heart language for the first time or joining millions in the 30-Day Bible Challenge."

A Bible in every language, and the work left to do

That phrase, "heart language", matters. YouVersion says its apps carry around 3,800 Bible versions in 2,400 languages, and it works with more than 45,000 churches and partners worldwide. It says some of its strongest engagement is in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. It's opening regional hubs too, including in the United Kingdom, Brazil, Kenya and Mexico.

The translation work behind those numbers keeps moving. Wycliffe says the full Bible is now in 807 languages, and in Sweden a new New Testament, NT 2026, arrived last month.

There's still a gap, and YouVersion is helping map it. It's one of five partners in the Bible Access Initiative, with Bible League International, Digital Bible Society, Frontlines International and The Voice of the Martyrs. On Thursday 1 October the initiative released its 2026 Bible Access List, covering 106 countries. Afghanistan and Yemen top its list of countries where getting a Bible is most restricted. On its shortage list, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria and India each have an estimated shortfall of more than 10 million Bibles. The Christian Post reported that more than 500 million Christians worldwide face restrictions on Bible access. The point of the list is to show Bible agencies, mission groups and churches where help is needed most.

So the picture this week runs both ways. YouVersion says millions of people, Australians among the keenest, are opening the Bible every day, many of them looking for hope. And the people who translate and carry it are working out where to take it next.