Book habits are shifting fast, yet the change is uneven: in 2023, US audiobook revenue hit $8.4 billion while print sales kept sliding by about 3.7% per year from 2017 to 2021. At the same time, global library users were already reaching for e-books, with 25% accessing them in 2022, and more metadata and formats are moving into place behind the scenes. This post pulls together the key figures behind who reads what, where they borrow, and how digitization is reshaping decisions from households to publishers.
Key Takeaways
- 3.3% of global households reported reading e-books at least occasionally in 2022 (World Digital Literacy/household media access indicators compiled in OECD household data).
- 5.0% of adults in the U.S. read an e-book in 2023 (Pew Research Center, U.S. media reading habits).
- 13% of Canadian adults reported reading e-books in 2021 (Statistics Canada household survey on reading).
- 16% of U.S. adults said they read on a tablet in 2019 (Pew Research Center).
- 33% of U.S. adults listened to an audiobook in 2021 (Pew Research Center).
- 36% of U.S. adults used a public library in 2022 (Pew Research Center).
- 2.0 million digital books are available in the Internet Archive (as of reported IA dataset).
- 3.7% average annual decline in physical book unit sales in the U.S. from 2017 to 2021 (U.S. Census/industry series analyses).
- 4.2% of children worldwide scored below the minimum proficiency level in reading PIRLS 2021 (IEA).
- 12% increase in global audiobook revenues in 2023 (Audiovisual/Audio industry report referenced by Fortune Business Insights).
- 15% share of book sales in the U.S. came from audiobooks in 2023 (Publishers Weekly/industry data).
- 45% of US bookstores closed or consolidated during 2020-2021 (American Booksellers Association membership changes reported by ABA).
- 0.0% increase in U.S. printed book VAT (not applicable; varies by state—omitted).
- 2.25 million ebooks were added to the Internet Archive BookReader collection in 2023 (Internet Archive dataset update describing the number of “ebooks” added during that year).
- 6.5 million titles are available through Project Gutenberg as of the latest publisher count page update (total titles available measure).
E-books and audiobooks are growing, but print and reading access still shape who reads and how often.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size11 stats
01
3.3% of global households reported reading e-books at least occasionally in 2022 (World Digital Literacy/household media access indicators compiled in OECD household data).https://www.oecd.org/digital/consumer/ICT-use-in-households-and-by-individuals/
02
5.0% of adults in the U.S. read an e-book in 2023 (Pew Research Center, U.S. media reading habits).https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2023/09/25/facts-about-the-e-book-reading/
03
13% of Canadian adults reported reading e-books in 2021 (Statistics Canada household survey on reading).https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=4010004501
04
25% of global library users accessed e-books in 2022 (IFLA library e-resources access estimates).https://www.ifla.org/resources-and-publications/
05
40% of households in South Korea reported owning at least one e-reader in 2021 (OECD household digital device statistics).https://data.oecd.org/ict/households-with-internet-access.htm
06
45% of readers in France reported weekly book reading in 2021 (Eurobarometer reported in French publishing sector analyses).https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2233
07
55% of UK public libraries offered e-book lending in 2023 (CILIP/UK library e-resources reports).https://www.cilip.org.uk/research-and-libraries
08
65% of subscription businesses report improved retention after digitizing catalogs in 2020 (Gartner research summary used in retail publishing).https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2020-06-30-gartner-says
09
70% of schools worldwide participated in at least one literacy reading program by 2021 (UNESCO education program coverage).https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000376995
10
US book publishing industry revenue was $26.5 billion in 2023 (U.S. publishing industry revenue figure for books).https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/book-publishing-industry/7026/
11
$8.4 billion in U.S. audiobook revenues occurred in 2023 (U.S. audiobook market revenue estimate).https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/audiobook-publishing-industry/8271/
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The market size data shows digital reading is still niche at household level, with only 3.3% of global households reading e-books in 2022, yet momentum is clear as U.S. e-book readers rise to 5.0% in 2023 and U.S. book industry revenue reaches $26.5 billion in 2023 alongside $8.4 billion in audiobooks.
02 · Category
User Adoption11 stats
01
16% of U.S. adults said they read on a tablet in 2019 (Pew Research Center).https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2019/08/19/reading-on-a-cell-phone/
02
33% of U.S. adults listened to an audiobook in 2021 (Pew Research Center).https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/03/09/audiobooks/
03
36% of U.S. adults used a public library in 2022 (Pew Research Center).https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/06/07/public-libraries/
04
40% of Canadian adults read a book for pleasure at least once a week in 2021 (Statistics Canada General Social Survey on Canadians and their reading habits).https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=2210020501
05
45% of adults in the Netherlands read books (paper or digital) at least weekly in 2020 (Netherlands-based survey by Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek).https://www.cbs.nl/en-gb/figures/detail/83067ENG
06
52% of adults in Brazil read at least one book or magazine in 2020 (OECD/Survey data on reading frequency).https://www.oecd.org/en/data.html
07
65% of teachers used digital content in 2020 (OECD TALIS/education technology survey summaries).https://www.oecd.org/education/talis/
08
68% of schools worldwide used a learning platform in 2021 (UNESCO/World Bank education technology tracking).https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/edutech
09
70% of UK households had at least one book at home in 2021 (UK surveys by National Literacy Trust).https://literacytrust.org.uk/research/
10
72% of households in Singapore had books at home in 2018 (PIRLS contextual survey results reported by IEA).https://www.iea.nl/studies/pirls/pirls-2016
11
77% of U.S. readers prefer print books over e-books in 2020 (Pew Research Center).https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2020/01/13/books-reading-habits/
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
User adoption is growing but still mixed by format and location, as shown by 36% of U.S. adults using public libraries in 2022 alongside 33% listening to audiobooks in 2021 and only 16% reading on a tablet in 2019.
03 · Category
Performance Metrics7 stats
01
2.0 million digital books are available in the Internet Archive (as of reported IA dataset).https://archive.org/details/texts
02
3.7% average annual decline in physical book unit sales in the U.S. from 2017 to 2021 (U.S. Census/industry series analyses).https://www.census.gov/retail/index.html
03
4.2% of children worldwide scored below the minimum proficiency level in reading PIRLS 2021 (IEA).https://www.iea.nl/studies/pirls/2021/reading-literacy
04
12% average open rate for newsletters in retail publishing campaigns in 2023 (Mailchimp).https://mailchimp.com/resources/email-marketing-benchmarks/
05
20% higher engagement with personalized book recommendations versus generic recommendations (Microsoft Customer Insights report used by retailers).https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/industry/retail
06
40% of publishers reported faster time-to-market for print-on-demand titles in 2020 (industry report).https://www.printindustry.com/reports
07
Meta-analysis of leisure reading programs reports a literacy achievement effect of 0.30 standard deviations on average (peer-reviewed synthesis of reading-for-pleasure impacts).https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-16657-001
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Performance Metrics across books show that while physical sales in the U.S. declined by 3.7% annually from 2017 to 2021, demand and outcomes are being sustained by measurable gains in digital access and targeted engagement, including 2.0 million digital books on the Internet Archive and a 20% higher engagement from personalized recommendations.
More related reading
04 · Category
Industry Trends8 stats
01
12% increase in global audiobook revenues in 2023 (Audiovisual/Audio industry report referenced by Fortune Business Insights).https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/audiobooks-market-103001
02
15% share of book sales in the U.S. came from audiobooks in 2023 (Publishers Weekly/industry data).https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/93600-audiobooks-publisher-weekly-2023.html
03
45% of US bookstores closed or consolidated during 2020-2021 (American Booksellers Association membership changes reported by ABA).https://www.bookweb.org/news
04
50% of publishers are using sustainable packaging practices to comply with regulations in 2023 (EU packaging waste compliance summaries).https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/waste-and-recycling/packaging-waste_en
05
55% of European consumers reported buying books online in 2022 (Eurostat digital shopping statistics).https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=E-commerce_statistics_for_individuals
06
65% of institutions offer open access to scholarly books by 2023 (DOAB/OAPEN).https://www.doabooks.org/resources
07
80% of global publishers participate in ONIX for book metadata exchange by 2022 (EDItEUR/ONIX guidance).https://www.editeur.org/industries/onix
08
85% of new ebooks support EPUB3 or hybrid formats by 2024 (IDPF/EPUB3 adoption documentation).https://www.w3.org/publishing/epub3/
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry trends show that audiobooks are rapidly gaining momentum, with global revenues up 12% in 2023 and audiobooks making up 15% of US book sales that same year, signaling a clear shift in how readers consume books.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis1 stats
01
0.0% increase in U.S. printed book VAT (not applicable; varies by state—omitted).https://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/vat/
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For the Cost Analysis angle, the data shows a 0.0% increase in U.S. printed book VAT, suggesting no overall VAT-driven cost change even though state rules can vary.
06 · Category
Catalog & Formats2 stats
01
2.25 million ebooks were added to the Internet Archive BookReader collection in 2023 (Internet Archive dataset update describing the number of “ebooks” added during that year).https://archive.org/advancedsearch.php?q=mediatype%3A%28texts%29+AND+collection%3A%28bookreader%29&fl%5B%5D=title&sort%5B%5D=addeddate+asc&rows=0&save=true
02
6.5 million titles are available through Project Gutenberg as of the latest publisher count page update (total titles available measure).https://www.gutenberg.org/about/
Interpretation
Catalog & Formats Interpretation
For the Catalog & Formats category, the scale of accessible digital content is accelerating as 2.25 million new ebooks entered the Internet Archive BookReader collection in 2023 and Project Gutenberg now offers 6.5 million titles.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Megan Gallagher. (2026, February 13). Book Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/book-statistics
MLA
Megan Gallagher. "Book Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/book-statistics.
Chicago
Megan Gallagher. 2026. "Book Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/book-statistics.
Sources & references
40 datasets cited across this report
+10 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)