UK Bible sales hit their highest ever level in 2025, rising 134% from 2019 to around £6.3m in total value. It is an unprecedented jump, according to data from the book market, writes The Guardian.
This unexpected growth has raised questions among booksellers and researchers—where are the new readers coming from, and what is driving them to buy the Bible, in an era when organized religion was generally considered to be in decline?
“From scratch” to the Bible
Aude Pasquier, sales director at the Church House bookshop near Westminster Abbey, says he is seeing a growing number of shoppers who have had no contact with Christianity before – either at school or in the family. They come “from scratch” to the Bible. Many of them are young people seeking to better understand the world and their own lives.
Another bookseller, Steve Barnet, notes that this desire for spirituality sometimes seems to start through influencers, who discuss deep themes about life and existence. This path begins online, and leads some young people to religious texts such as the Bible.
“A counter-cultural force”
Sam Richardson, chief executive of SPCK Group, a publishing house and Christian charity, believes that major social changes, the COVID-19 pandemic, global crises, economic threats or technological developments are among the factors that have led young people to seek meaning and answers to existential questions, which would have prompted them to spiritual reading.
Richardson believes that the Christian religion – once perceived as old-fashioned or irrelevant in a secularized society – can now be seen as a counter-cultural force, a way of resisting the perceived meaninglessness of the dominant culture.
In addition, social media has made religion more accessible and visible: young people can see the spiritual stories of others in a much more personal way than would have been possible two decades ago, when physical attendance at church was required.
Participation in religious services
The increase in interest in the Bible seems to go hand in hand with an increase in attendance at religious services, according to The Guardian.
A report by the Bible Society shows that in England and Wales the number of people going to church increased by 50% from 2018 to 2024. The biggest increase is among 18-24 year olds (from 4% to 16% monthly attendees).
The trend of renewed interest in the Bible is not unique to Britain. In the United States, Bible sales reached their highest level in 21 years in 2025, The Guardian also notes.
