While total U.S. print book sales increased by less than 1% this year through the end of October, Bible sales surged by 22% compared to the same period last year.
The data from Circana BookScan. reveals that 14.2 million Bibles were sold in the U.S. in 2023, with sales reaching 13.7 million in the first 10 months of the year.
Publishers suggested that rising anxiety, a search for hope, and targeted marketing could be driving the increased demand for Bibles. Jeff Crosby, president of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, stated, “People are experiencing anxiety themselves, or they’re worried for their children and grandchildren. It’s related to artificial intelligence, election cycles … and all of that feeds a desire for assurance that we’re going to be OK.”
J. Mark Bertrand, founder of Lectio.org, pointed out that niche marketing of Scripture has also contributed to the trend. “I’d like to say there is a craving for knowledge of scripture, but a lot of smart people are thinking about Bible marketing and catering to every whim for Bible study,” he explained.
Amy Simpson of Tyndale House Publishers observed a growing engagement with the Bible among Gen Z and college students, remarking, “You have a generation that wants to find things that feel more solid.”
Despite America’s increasing secularization, George Barna, director of research at the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, found in 2013 that nearly nine out of ten Americans, or 88%, own a Bible. Ten years earlier, 92% of Americans reported Bible ownership. On average, American Bible owners have about 3.5 Bibles in their homes, with roughly 24% indicating that they own six or more.
However, Data from ACU shows that of an estimated 176 million American adults identifying as Christian, only 6% or 15 million of them hold a biblical worldview. The study highlights that while many self-identified Christians, including Evangelicals, affirm that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and the Creator of the universe, more than half reject several core biblical teachings and principles, including the existence of the Holy Spirit.
In 2022, Barna commented on the American Worldview Inventory, noting that parents of preteens are “in a state of spiritual distress” as adherence to biblical Christianity diminishes even within churches.
He warned that a “tragic crash” is on the horizon, stating, “If ever there was a time when our nation was desperate for a grassroots spiritual revival led by the remnant in the pews who still revere God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, and truth, now is that time.”
