HarperCollins said increased Bible sales were a sign that people are not just buying them but “actually trying to read them and understand them and then apply them to their lives”. (Photo: Getty/iStock)
Bible sales in both the UK and the US have climbed to their highest levels on record, with analysts pointing to a growing interest in faith and spirituality among Generation Z as a key driver of the trend.
Figures reported by the Daily Mail, based on analysis of Nielsen BookScan data, show that UK Bible sales reached £6.3 million in 2025, marking a dramatic rise from £2.7 million in 2019.
This represents a 134% increase in value over six years, alongside a 106% rise in volume during the same timeframe.
The acceleration has been particularly sharp in the past year.
Between 2024 and 2025 alone, revenue from Bible sales grew by a quarter, with the number of copies sold exceeding that (28%) and far outstripping growth in the years before the Covid-19 pandemic.
By contrast, between 2008 and 2019, annual Bible sales increased by just £277,000 in total.
Data collated by Christian publisher SPCK Group also shows that Crossway’s English Standard Version (ESV) topped sales among Bible translations in the UK in 2025.
Sam Richardson, chief executive of SPCK Group, said the figures point to a broader cultural shift.
He told the Daily Mail that the sustained rise in sales reflects a renewed curiosity about faith, particularly among people aged 18 to 28.
According to Mr Richardson, Gen Z appears more receptive to spiritual and religious engagement than older cohorts, a pattern he attributes to growing up amid global disruption attributed to the Covid-19 crisis, international conflicts, rapid advances in artificial intelligence, and increasing pressures on mental health.
“This may well be because Gen Z, who experienced the global Covid-19 pandemic as children and teenagers, are now reaching adulthood in an increasingly turbulent world, where everything from politics to the economy, culture and technology are constantly shifting,” he said.
“We are seeing more and more people – Gen Z included – investigating the Bible for themselves and seeking to draw their own conclusions rather than relying on the status quo.”
Social media has also played a visible role.
On TikTok, young adults have posted videos documenting their first Bible purchases, sharing personal reflections on faith, peace and curiosity.
Several users have described moving away from atheism, ordering study Bibles, or preparing to attend church for the first time.
The British trend mirrors developments in the United States.
US Circana BookScan director and industry analyst Brenna Connor has said that Bible sales in the US reached their highest level in 21 years in 2025, with approximately 19 million copies sold – twice the total recorded in 2019, reports Publishers Weekly.
Sales were up 12% on 2024 last year, with particularly strong growth following periods of national and cultural upheaval, including the assassination of Christian media figure Charlie Kirk.
According to Circana BookScan, Bible purchases increased sharply in the weeks that followed his death, with 2.4 million copies sold across the US in September alone — a 36 per cent rise compared with the same month in 2024.
Industry analysts in both countries say the surge suggests that buyers are not simply collecting religious texts but actively engaging with them.
Publishers report increased demand for study Bibles, children’s editions and accessible formats designed for first-time readers.
In the US, the leading adult Bible title in 2025 was The Invitation New Testament, released by B&H Publishing, while children’s sales were led by The Action Bible: God’s Redemptive Story by Sergio Cariello, published by David C Cook.
HarperCollins Christian Publishing chief executive Mark Schoenwald said the company is heading for a third straight year of double-digit growth across all Bible formats, adding that sales of the NIV Study Bible have now exceeded 10 million copies – evidence, he said, of deeper reader engagement.
“We just surpassed 10 million units of the NIV Study Bible,” Schoenwald told Publishers Weekly. “What that tells me is people are not just buying Bibles, but they’re actually trying to read them and understand them and then apply them to their lives.”
The surge in Bible sales is emerging against the backdrop of a so-called “quiet revival” marked by renewed interest in faith among younger generations.
