In 1455, Johannes Gutenberg printed around 180 copies of the Bible, the first book to come from his movable type printing press. Last year, 570 years after Gutenberg, more than 19.1 million Bibles were sold in the U.S., according to market research firm Circana. Bible sales increased by 12% over 2024 and have more than tripled over the past 10 years.
As the publisher of Bibles and reference at Lifeway Christian Resources, Andy McLean has had a front row seat to the growth. He said he has seen increases across the board at Holman Bibles, but “we’ve witnessed certain categories of Bibles stand out as well, such as notetaking and journaling Bibles, study Bibles and kids Bibles.”
A variety of customers have been driving Bible sales, McLean said. “First-time Bible purchasers, particularly among younger generations, have contributed to this increase,” he said. “However, we’ve also seen a lot of repeat Bible purchasers, driven by a diversity of new Bibles released in the market that help readers engage with Scripture in different ways.”
‘Growing hunger for God’s Word’
McLean said specialty Bibles have contributed to sales increases.
“Over the course of this past year, we’ve seen significant growth with the ‘Connecting Scripture New Testament,’ a study Bible that focuses on how the writers of the New Testament allude to texts and themes of the Old Testament,” he said. “We’ve also seen high demand for the ‘Grace Bible for Kids’ and ‘Grace Bible for Adults,’ which were specifically created to help readers with dyslexia.”
McLean also noted titles that have already been on the market for a few years but have experienced recent sales growth, including the “CSB Study Bible,” “She Reads Truth Bible,” “He Reads Truth Bible” and “Everyday Study Bible.”
Author and Bible teacher Jen Wilkin has seen this scriptural interest increase firsthand in her own ministry. “We’re witnessing a growing hunger for God’s Word, which is encouraging to say the least,” she said.
Digital Bible reading and cultural change
But it’s not just print Bibles that have seen a surge in interest. “We’re witnessing a remarkable surge in Bible engagement,” said Bobby Gruenewald, YouVersion founder and CEO. The YouVersion Bible app recorded 150 million installs in 2025, up from 100 million in 2023.
“The rise in both print Bible sales and digital Bible engagement simultaneously, especially among younger generations, speaks to people’s desire for truth they can anchor their lives on when their world feels uncertain,” said Gruenewald.
That type of exponential growth in digital engagement and physical sales may be contributing to cultural and congregational shifts as well.
According to a Lifeway Research study, Americans are more likely to describe the Bible positively now compared to 10 years ago. Most (55%) say the Bible is a good source of morals, and almost half believe the Bible is true (48%) and life-changing (45%); all up from 2016. At the same time, Americans have grown less likely over the past decade to see the Bible as outdated (9%), bigoted (5%) or harmful (4%).
Churchgoers are also more likely to be regular Bible readers than they were in 2007. The Lifeway Research 2025 State of Discipleship study found 61% of U.S. Protestant churchgoers read the Bible at least a few times a week, up from 36% in 2007.
Bible reading and the local church
“This is an exciting season for local churches,” said Dwayne Milioni, pastor of Open Door Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. “By God’s providence, young people raised on social media and fake news are searching for truth and finding it in the ancient text of Scripture. I am seeing youth and young adults bringing Bibles to church and engaging in Bible studies like never before.”
Milioni, who also served as the general editor for the “Jesus Daily Bible,” said he has seen a direct impact in his own congregation of people regularly reading Scripture. He recently spoke to a member who finished reading the entire Bible in a year. “He told me how challenging it was at first, but when he found a rhythm of spending daily time in God’s Word, it began to change his outlook on each day,” Milioni said. “He said that reading the whole Bible has been a life-transforming experience.”
Despite the increase in Bible sales, Milioni’s church members remain a small minority. More than 2 in 5 Americans (44%) say the Bible is a book to read over and over again, up 4 points from a 2016 Lifeway Research study. Yet only 22% say they have actually read it all at least once, statistically unchanged over the last decade.
Opportunities for churches
McLean said the exponential increase in Bible sales with only moderate growth in actual reading indicates a growing sense of spiritual and biblical curiosity in America and an opportunity for churches to meet this need in a tangible way.
“This might involve a church refining their discipleship strategy as a whole,” he said. “On a practical level, it might be something as simple as instituting a church-wide Bible reading campaign over the course of a year.”
As a pastor, Milioni agrees that “churches need to take advantage of the present moment. As people put their phones down and pick up God’s Word, we need to provide opportunities to engage with the Bible.”
As more people are curious about Scripture, McLean believes churches can leverage this cultural season to help people move from being Bible purchasers to Bible readers and studiers. “Reading Scripture together builds unity, offers clarity around revealed truth, deepens our hunger for truth, fosters accountability and helps the church grow spiritually in a common direction.”
Wilkin, author of Bible studies like “Joshua: Every Good Promise Fulfilled,” said, “There has never been a better time for churches to evaluate how they can encourage Bible literacy by equipping readers with good learning tools, and by prioritizing spaces in which learning can be done in community.”
From 180 Bibles to more than 19 million in the U.S. alone and millions more around the world and in digital formats, Scripture is more prevalent than ever, but Gruenwald, Milioni, McLean and Wilkin would say personal and congregational engagement matters even more than sales and downloads.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Aaron Earls, senior writer for Lifeway Christian Resources, and originally published by Lifeway.
