The 10/40 Window ?
What is it ?
You are always asking . . .Here's the short answer which we send in reply to everyone who asks and we acknowledge this superb presentation that comes from Howard Culbertson's missions pages.
Les and Pilar, the editors.
http://www.dci.org.uk/main/contact.htm
The 10/40 Window
Most of the people groups still unreached by the gospel live in an area stretching across the maps of northern Africa and Asia. Christian missions strategist Luis Bush started calling this rectangular area or band: "the 10/40 window." He gave the area that easy-to-remember name because it is that area of Africa and Asia from 10 degrees north of the equator to 40 degrees latitude north of the equator.
World evangelism statistics
Of the 55 least evangelized countries, 97% of their population lives within the 10/40 Window. Unless something changes soon, most of these unreached people will never hear the Gospel. Why? Well, Bryant Myers of World Vision estimates that only about one and a quarter percent of Christian mission giving is going to missions work in the 10/40 Window. Open evangelism is difficult and even impossible in many 10/40 Window countries. Those are "creative access" areas.
Missions statistics
from the 10/40 Window
Center of population
Two-thirds of the world's population -- more than 3.2 billion people -- live in the 10/40 Window.
Unreached and unevangelized
95% of the people living in the 10/40 Window are unevangelized. Many have never heard the Gospel message even once.
Good news
In 1989 there were only four known Christians living in Mongolia. That country now has an estimated 10,000 indigenous believers. Also, Christian television programming can now be received in many closed 10/40 Window nations.
Poverty
Eighty-five percent of those living in the 10/40 window are the poorest of the world's poor.
Good news
Christians are delivering more than $1 million worth of food to one 10/40 Window refugee camp in 2003. In one North African country that is hostile to the Gospel, it rained after an Easter service. A local news channel reported, "Christians have brought rain to the desert."
World religions
Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism are centered in the 10/40 Window.
Least evangelized cities
Half of the world's least evangelized cities are in this window.
The statistics on non-Christians can be staggering
865 million unreached Muslims in 3330 cultural sub-groupings
550 million unreached Hindus in 1660 cultural sub-groups
150 million unreached Chinese in 830 groups
275 million unreached Buddhists in 900 groups
2550 unreached tribal groups with a total population of 140 million
Good news
Missions researcher David Barrett says the country with the fastest Christian expansion ever is China, now at 10,000 new converts every day.
Bible availability
At least some Scripture has been translated into 2,212 of the world's 6,500 languages, 366 languages have the entire Bible, 928 other languages have only the New Testament. Individual books (such as the Gospel of John) are available in 918 additional languages. 80 percent of the world's people have access to at least some portion of the Bible in a language they can understand.
Countries in the 10/40 Window:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Chad, China, Cyprus, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Gibraltar, Greece, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Korea, North Korea, South Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Libya, Macao, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sudan, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Western Sahara, Yemen
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