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The Most Widely Translated Books in the World

A small handful of books have been translated into an extraordinary number of languages, far beyond what most bestsellers ever reach. Here are the ones that consistently top the list.

The Bible

By a wide margin, the most translated book in history, with at least portions of it available in well over a thousand languages according to Bible-translation organizations that track this, and complete translations in several hundred more. No other single work comes close to this count.

The Little Prince

Antoine de Saint-ExupΓ©ry's novella is widely cited as the most translated non-religious book, with translations into several hundred languages and dialects, including many regional and minority languages that few other works have ever been translated into.

Pinocchio

Carlo Collodi's story of a wooden puppet has been translated into well over a hundred languages, and remains one of the most translated works of Italian literature specifically.

The Quran

Translated into well over a hundred languages, though many Islamic scholars traditionally treat translations as interpretive renderings rather than the Quran itself, since the original Arabic is considered central to its religious authority.

The Harry Potter series

J.K. Rowling's series is the most translated modern book series, with individual books translated into 80+ languages, an unusually high number for a contemporary work published within the last few decades rather than over centuries.

Why exact numbers are hard to pin down

Translation counts for older or religious texts are compiled by different organizations using different criteria β€” some count partial translations of just one chapter, others require a complete text, and some count historical translations that are no longer in print. This is why you will see somewhat different numbers cited for the same book depending on the source.

Religious and children's literature dominate the list for different reasons

Religious texts spread through organized, centuries-long translation efforts tied to missionary and educational work, while children's books like The Little Prince and Pinocchio spread through commercial publishing reach and universal, culturally portable stories that translate well without heavy cultural adaptation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Bible translated into more languages than any book will ever be?

Given the multi-century, globally coordinated effort behind Bible translation, it would be very difficult for any other single work to catch up, though no one can rule out a future book eventually reaching a comparable number given enough time and continued translation effort.

Do these counts include translations that are out of print?

It depends on the source. Organizations tracking Bible translations typically count any translation that was ever completed, including historical ones no longer actively published, while lists for other books often count only currently available translations.