World Languages and Religion Explorer
Find out which languages a country speaks, what it believes, and whether the Library already has translation research for those languages.
Last updated August 11, 2026
The World Languages and Religion Explorer is a map of who speaks what, and what they believe. Use it to decide where translation work would matter most, and to check whether the Library already covers the languages spoken there.
Reading the map
Every country is shaded by its dominant religion. Press Color key to see what the shading means:
| Colour | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Blue | Christianity |
| Green | Islam |
| Orange | Hinduism |
| Yellow | Buddhism |
| Purple | Judaism |
| Brown | Folk or traditional |
| Grey | Unaffiliated or mixed |
| Faded | No data |
“Dominant” means most widely held, not exclusive. A country shaded for one religion still has minority communities, and those show up in the detail panel once you select it.
On a narrow screen the colour key stays hidden until you ask for it, because it would otherwise cover much of the map. Press Color key again to put it away.
Finding a place
Two ways in, and the second is usually faster:
- Click a country on the map. Scroll to zoom and drag to pan. Reset view returns to the whole world.
- Search for a country or place by name in the box at the top right.
What the detail panel tells you
Select a country and four things appear beside the map:
- Languages spoken, as a share of the population.
- Religious affiliation, again as shares, so you can see minority communities the map colour hides.
- Culture, work and family, a short plain-language description of daily life there.
- Explore communities and regions, which drills into a specific region or community. Its panel shows Languages spoken locally, which often differs sharply from the national picture.
The part that connects to the Library
In the Languages spoken list, any language the Library already has research for is a link, marked with an arrow. Following it opens that language’s Library page in a new tab, with its doctrine analysis, glossary, and downloadable requirements package.
A language with no link simply has no published research yet. That is the gap the pipeline works through, and it is worth knowing before you plan work in a region: the map tells you who is there, and the links tell you what is already prepared.
If a language you need is missing, use Request a language or Bible book on the Library home page.