Bible gross sales within the UK have risen sharply, rising by 87 per cent from £2.69 million in 2019 to £5.02 million in 2024, in line with new information from SPCK Group and Nielsen E-book Knowledge.
Publishers and researchers attribute this progress to Era Z’s renewed curiosity in spirituality, marking a putting cultural shift.
Whereas total non-fiction e-book gross sales declined by 6% between 2023 and 2024, spiritual books have defied the pattern. The broader class of “Bibles and liturgy” grew from £7 million in 2019 to £8.1 million in 2024, persevering with a longer-term rise from £5 million in 2008. Spending on spiritual books as a complete reached £25.2 million final 12 months, reflecting a 3% year-on-year enhance.
Surveys recommend that younger persons are driving this variation. A January ballot discovered that 62% of 18 to 24 12 months olds describe themselves as “very” or “pretty” non secular, in comparison with simply 35% of these over 65.
Moreover, solely 13% of Era Z establish as atheists – far decrease than the 20% of millennials and 25% of Era X who do.
Sam Richardson, Chief Govt of SPCK, believes these traits replicate a significant cultural shift.
“We’re on the centre of a big cultural shift concerning issues of religion and faith,” he mentioned. “Atheism, as soon as thought-about by trendy society to be the view of most rational adults, not appears to hold the identical weight or enchantment. Younger folks – Gen Z particularly – are statistically far much less more likely to establish as atheists than their mother and father.”
Many consider exterior elements have contributed to this resurgence of religion. Richardson pointed to the Covid-19 pandemic and the rising psychological well being disaster as key influences, with many younger folks turning to spirituality for steerage and reassurance.
Mark Woods, of the Bible Society, highlighted the elevated demand, noting that gross sales are being pushed each by private purchases and by church buildings and faculties offering Bibles to younger folks.
“Both means, there is a very clear enhance in demand,” he mentioned. “This appears to come up from a notion that the Bible has one thing essential to say to younger folks, and from a need to make it accessible to them.”
One version, the Good Information Bible: The Youth Version, has been significantly common, with gross sales almost doubling since 2021. Designed to enchantment to youthful readers, it consists of explanatory notes, infographics, and house for private reflections.
The New Worldwide Model and Good Information Bible now outsell the King James Bible, displaying a desire for contemporary, accessible translations.
Regardless of Britain’s total pattern towards secularism, the surge in Bible gross sales means that religion stays a strong pressure, significantly among the many youthful technology.
In a time of uncertainty, many younger folks appear more and more drawn to studying Christian scripture, a follow as soon as considered in decline.
