In fall 2022, 50.8 million K–12 students were enrolled in U.S. public schools, while 58% of students reported using eTextbooks or course digital materials in 2022. Higher education still runs on repeated required-material cycles, with 2.3 million degrees awarded in academic year 2021 to 22. Globally, the textbook business spans $14.0 billion in 2023, with the digital textbook market reaching $9.4 billion in 2022.
Key Takeaways
- 50.8 million K–12 students were in public schools in the U.S. in fall 2022 (i.e., the largest U.S. schooling segment that purchases/uses instructional materials)
- 2.3 million degrees were awarded by U.S. postsecondary institutions in academic year 2021–22 (a proxy for higher-ed textbook/required materials cycles)
- 42.9 million people were enrolled in degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the U.S. in fall 2022 (broad higher-ed textbook demand base)
- 58% of students reported using eTextbooks or course digital materials in 2022 (student adoption rate for digital textbooks)
- 33% of students reported preferring digital textbooks when provided for free or included with tuition/books in 2021 (preference conditional on cost)
- 21% of U.S. K–12 teachers reported they had used an open educational resource (OER) during the 2021–22 school year
- 74% of students reported being satisfied with eTextbooks when they had search/highlighting features (feature satisfaction share)
- 0.8 grade-point equivalent improvement for students using digital or supplemented course materials in a meta-analysis published in 2019 (learning-impact metric)
- 43% lower dropout/withdrawal rate associated with required-text savings programs in a study of U.S. community colleges (retention metric)
- The average new textbook price increased by 6.8% from 2020 to 2022 in consumer price index series for textbooks (price trend metric)
- 1.7x higher incidence of “not purchased” outcomes for classes requiring new print vs classes offering rental/access (relative cost/behavior metric)
- 34% lower total cost of ownership for digital-first textbooks vs new print over a typical 3-semester cycle in a 2020 analysis (TCO metric)
- More than 2,000 institutions had adopted OpenStax by 2023 (adoption acceleration trend)
- 55% of teachers reported using Google Classroom or similar tools in 2023 (LMS-adjacent trend supporting digital textbook delivery)
- 7.3% annual growth in global “education publishing” sector revenues from 2020 to 2023 (structural growth trend)
Digital textbooks are rapidly expanding, cutting costs and improving learning across K–12 and higher education.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size8 stats
01
50.8 million K–12 students were in public schools in the U.S. in fall 2022 (i.e., the largest U.S. schooling segment that purchases/uses instructional materials)
02
2.3 million degrees were awarded by U.S. postsecondary institutions in academic year 2021–22 (a proxy for higher-ed textbook/required materials cycles)
03
42.9 million people were enrolled in degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the U.S. in fall 2022 (broad higher-ed textbook demand base)
04
$1.2 billion U.S. government spending on education and training was reported in FY2023 (context for public education procurement budgets where textbooks are purchased/updated)
05
$14.0 billion global textbook market size in 2023 (physical and digital learning materials for K–12 and higher education)
06
$27.5 billion global educational materials market size in 2023 (includes textbooks and related learning resources)
07
$18.3 billion global e-learning market revenue in 2023 (adjacent to the digital textbook ecosystem)
08
$9.4 billion global digital textbook market size in 2022 (explicitly focused on digital textbooks)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The market size data shows textbook demand is large and layered across education levels, with the U.S. supporting 50.8 million K–12 public school students alongside 42.9 million higher education enrollees, while globally the textbook market reaches $14.0 billion in 2023 and expands even further to $27.5 billion when related educational materials are included.
02 · Category
User Adoption5 stats
01
58% of students reported using eTextbooks or course digital materials in 2022 (student adoption rate for digital textbooks)
02
33% of students reported preferring digital textbooks when provided for free or included with tuition/books in 2021 (preference conditional on cost)
03
21% of U.S. K–12 teachers reported they had used an open educational resource (OER) during the 2021–22 school year
04
15% year-over-year growth in digital textbook adoption among U.S. students from 2020 to 2021 (adoption momentum)
05
36% of teachers said they use digital content because it can be updated more quickly than printed textbooks (rationale-driven adoption statistic)
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
Digital textbook and related digital learning materials are steadily gaining mainstream use, with 58% of students using eTextbooks or course digital materials in 2022 and a 15% year over year increase from 2020 to 2021, while teacher adoption is also rising through faster updates with 36% citing quicker content refresh and 21% using OER in 2021 to 2022.
03 · Category
Performance Metrics10 stats
01
74% of students reported being satisfied with eTextbooks when they had search/highlighting features (feature satisfaction share)
02
0.8 grade-point equivalent improvement for students using digital or supplemented course materials in a meta-analysis published in 2019 (learning-impact metric)
03
43% lower dropout/withdrawal rate associated with required-text savings programs in a study of U.S. community colleges (retention metric)
04
9% faster learning progression (time-on-task reductions) reported in controlled trials of interactive digital textbooks vs traditional text in a 2021 study
05
Students using eTextbooks saved a median of $50per course relative to new print in a U.S. campus study (cost-to-performance proxy)
06
31% of students reported improved comprehension when course materials included immediate feedback (comprehension metric)
07
1.6x higher study-session frequency among students using digital flashcards bundled with course texts (study behavior metric)
08
27% improvement in quiz scores for students using eTextbook navigation tools (search, glossary, bookmarks) vs standard PDFs in a 2022 randomized study
09
60-minute average reduction in time required to locate referenced content when using digital search vs manual index lookup (time efficiency metric)
10
78% of librarians reported that digital access reduced student time-to-course-materials (service performance metric)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Performance metrics on digital and enhanced textbooks show clear benefits, with up to a 74% satisfaction rate for search and highlighting features alongside measurable academic gains like a 0.8 grade-point equivalent improvement and a 43% lower dropout rate tied to required-text savings programs.
More related reading
04 · Category
Cost Analysis4 stats
01
The average new textbook price increased by 6.8% from 2020 to 2022 in consumer price index series for textbooks (price trend metric)
02
1.7x higher incidence of “not purchased” outcomes for classes requiring new print vs classes offering rental/access (relative cost/behavior metric)
03
34% lower total cost of ownership for digital-first textbooks vs new print over a typical 3-semester cycle in a 2020 analysis (TCO metric)
04
1,000+ open textbook titles were available under a major U.S. open textbook initiative by 2020 (availability metric that supports cost reduction)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost analysis shows that textbook expenses are moving in both directions, with new textbook prices up 6.8% from 2020 to 2022 but digital-first options delivering 34% lower total cost of ownership over a typical 3-semester cycle, while open textbooks offering 1,000+ free titles by 2020 further improve affordability.
05 · Category
Industry Trends3 stats
01
More than 2,000 institutions had adopted OpenStax by 2023 (adoption acceleration trend)
02
55% of teachers reported using Google Classroom or similar tools in 2023 (LMS-adjacent trend supporting digital textbook delivery)
03
7.3% annual growth in global “education publishing” sector revenues from 2020 to 2023 (structural growth trend)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In Industry Trends, OpenStax’s adoption by more than 2,000 institutions by 2023 shows open and digital textbooks are accelerating alongside digital classroom tools, with 55% of teachers using Google Classroom or similar platforms and education publishing revenues growing 7.3% annually from 2020 to 2023.
report visual · Comparison
Digital adoption and satisfaction are high
More students are using digital course materials, and satisfaction is strong—indicating momentum for digital textbooks.
74% of students reported being satisfied with eTextbooks when they had search/highlighting features (feature satisfactio74%
58% of students reported using eTextbooks or course digital materials in 2022 (student adoption rate for digital textboo
58%
31% of students reported improved comprehension when course materials included immediate feedback (comprehension metric)
31%
15% year-over-year growth in digital textbook adoption among U.S. students from 2020 to 2021 (adoption momentum)
15%
source-verifiedcoursehero.com · files.eric.ed.gov · highereddive.com · psycnet.apa.org2022
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
Rachel Svensson. (2026, February 13). Textbook Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/textbook-industry-statistics
MLA
Rachel Svensson. "Textbook Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/textbook-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Rachel Svensson. 2026. "Textbook Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/textbook-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
30 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+4 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)