The 10/40 Window: Sending Missionaries & Help

Jesus’s last words to His disciples were, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”[1] Of the 7 billion (and growing) people on the Earth, an estimated 5.32 billion live in what is called the 10/40 Window.[2] That is the majority of the world’s population living between the boundary lines of 10 and 40 degrees north latitude, which is what gives this “window” its name.

The 10/40 window nations include some of the most populous and diverse, with thousands of distinct people groups, languages and religions. The phrase ‘10/40 window’ was coined by missionary and researcher Luis Bush in 1990. His research on world populations and religions led him to draw two lines on a map of the world―one at 10 degrees north latitude and the other at 40 degrees north latitude.[3] This area holds the highest concentration of humanity on the globe. Close in the ends of those two lines, and you get a rectangle, not unlike a window.

The 10/40 Window is where some of the world’s worst poverty and societal issues exist. Deep cycles of generational poverty, low economic opportunity and lack of education are experienced by many of these people groups. In the 10/40 window, facts and statistics include:
  • More than 80 percent of the poorest of the poor live in this region.[4]
  • 16,000 different people groups have been identified.[5]
  • 5 out of every 6 unreached people groups are in the 10/40 Window.[6]
  • The largest percentage of those who have yet to hear the Gospel in this region are in South Asian countries[7]
GFA World believes in serving the “least of these” in this world, those who live in the deepest poverty with little to no chance of having a life defined by anything other than need. This commitment has led GFA to focus daily on this window.

GFA missionaries are born and raised in the countries where they serve. They understand the language, culture, etiquette and challenges faced by those they long to love and care for in some of the world’s worst conditions. GFA workers are humbly serving people every day in difficult situations with tenderness and care. They want to see those they serve experience changed lives, both inside and out.

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