What are the 10/40 Window Countries?

The 10/40 window countries consist of those that fall within or are very near 10 degrees and 40 degrees north latitude. This term was coined in 1990 by a missions’ researcher who found that the vast majority of people living in this geographical area are not Christians, nor have they probably ever seen a Bible or heard about Jesus.[1]

These countries also have some of the highest concentrations of poor and underserved people groups in the world. According to the Joshua Project, “Of the poorest of the poor, more than eight out of ten live in the 10/40 Window. On average, they exist on less than a few hundred dollars per person per year.”[2]

Billions of people live in this vast area of the globe, many of them uncontacted and unknown, and, therefore, not regularly prayed for. Keeping this area in our prayers is important to the service being done by groups like GFA World and our workers.

Not only do the majority of the world’s poor live here, but this large block of territory is home to horrific levels of child labor, human trafficking and terrorist organization activity. Yet, little attention is paid to this area by many churches and organizations. As Window International Network puts it, “Though the needs are both desperate and urgent, only 5¢ out of every $100 spent on missions globally is directed toward the 10/40 Window. That’s 0.0005% of all mission money designated to bring the Gospel to 66% of the world’s population!”[3]

GFA not only sees these people groups but is actively working to bring compassionate service and care to many of them. GFA national missionaries tune themselves into the community where they serve, first to pray for them and then to connect them with needed services that generous donors make possible.

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