Religious book statistics at a glance
Religious book usage in the U.S. is not a flat story. The latest figures show a large base of ownership, a smaller but still substantial daily-use audience, and a meaningful digital layer that sits on top of print habits.
Fast facts
- 77% of Americans said they own a Bible in 2025, up from 74% in 2024 (State of the Bible USA 2025).
- 66% of Bible Users accessed the Bible digitally in 2025, while 34% accessed it only in print (State of the Bible USA 2025).
- 62% of digital Bible Users used Bible apps in 2025 (State of the Bible USA 2025).
- 51% of Americans said they wish they read the Bible more in 2025 (State of the Bible USA 2025).
- 57% of U.S. adults were Bible Disengaged in 2024, equal to 151 million people (State of the Bible USA 2024).
- 733 languages had the full Bible in 2023, covering 5.9 billion people (UBS Bible translation statistics report).
Table of contents
- Religious book statistics and U.S. Bible ownership
- Usage trends from 2011 to 2025
- Engagement segments and age patterns
- Digital Bible usage and platform behavior
- Distribution and translation statistics
- What the numbers suggest
Religious book statistics and U.S. Bible ownership
The strongest starting point is ownership. In 2025, 77% of Americans said they own a Bible, which was a clear increase from 74% in 2024 and 72% in 2023 if you compare the trend implied by the reported rise (State of the Bible USA 2025; State of the Bible USA 2024).
That matters because ownership is much wider than active reading.
Why ownership is not the same as engagement
A person can own a Bible and still rarely use it. The 2024 and 2025 figures show exactly that gap:
- 2024 Bible Users were 38% of adults, or 99 million people (State of the Bible USA 2024).
- 2025 Americans who said they own a Bible were 77% of the population, but only 66% of Bible Users accessed it digitally and 34% only in print among digital users vs. print users (State of the Bible USA 2025).
- In 2025, 51% of Americans said they wish they read the Bible more (State of the Bible USA 2025).
That combination suggests a large passive audience. Ownership is broad, use is narrower, and desire to read is still present even among people who are not regular users.
Key callout
Big number: 151 million U.S. adults were Bible Disengaged in 2024, or 57% of adults (State of the Bible USA 2024).
That figure is the clearest reminder that religious book statistics are often about potential reach, not just current habit.
Usage trends from 2011 to 2025
The long-term trend is more uneven than a simple decline or recovery. Bible usage has moved around the 50% mark for much of the last decade, then slipped lower in the early 2020s before stabilizing at a new level.
Year-by-year comparison
| Year | Bible Users | Share of U.S. adults | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 118 million | 50% | State of the Bible USA 2024 |
| 2012 | 120 million | 50% | State of the Bible USA 2024 |
| 2013 | 121 million | 50% | State of the Bible USA 2024 |
| 2014 | 129 million | 53% | State of the Bible USA 2024 |
| 2015 | 126 million | 51% | State of the Bible USA 2024 |
| 2016 | 124 million | 50% | State of the Bible USA 2024 |
| 2017 | 125 million | 50% | State of the Bible USA 2024 |
| 2018 | 123 million | 49% | State of the Bible USA 2024 |
| 2019 | 124 million | 49% | State of the Bible USA 2024 |
| 2020 | 123 million | 48% | State of the Bible USA 2024 |
| 2021 | 128 million | 50% | State of the Bible USA 2024 |
| 2022 | 103 million | 40% | State of the Bible USA 2024 |
| 2023 | 100 million | 39% | State of the Bible USA 2024 |
| 2024 | 99 million | 38% | State of the Bible USA 2024 |
A few patterns stand out:
- The 2011-2021 period stayed close to the halfway mark, with only modest movement.
- The largest drop in the series appears in 2022, when Bible Users fell to 103 million and 40% of adults (State of the Bible USA 2024).
- After that drop, 2023 and 2024 show a smaller decline rather than another sharp fall.
What changed after 2021
The post-2021 numbers matter because they show a reset in the size of the active audience.
- 2021: 128 million users and 50% of adults (State of the Bible USA 2024).
- 2022: 103 million users and 40% of adults (State of the Bible USA 2024).
- 2023: 100 million users and 39% of adults (State of the Bible USA 2024).
- 2024: 99 million users and 38% of adults (State of the Bible USA 2024).
The practical takeaway is that the Bible audience remained huge, but the core user base became noticeably smaller than it had been in the previous decade.
A quick read on the trend
- From 2011 through 2021, Bible use mostly hovered around 49% to 53%.
- From 2022 through 2024, it stayed in the high 30s to 40%.
- That makes 2022 the break point in the series supplied by the dataset.
Engagement segments and age patterns
Not every adult relates to religious books in the same way. The dataset divides adults into Scripture Engaged, the Movable Middle, and Bible Disengaged groups, which gives a clearer picture than ownership alone.
Segment sizes in 2024
| Segment | Adults | Share of U.S. adults | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scripture Engaged | 47 million | 18% | State of the Bible USA 2024 |
| Movable Middle | 65 million | 25% | State of the Bible USA 2024 |
| Bible Disengaged | 151 million | 57% | State of the Bible USA 2024 |
This table is useful because it shows how much of the population is outside active engagement. The Movable Middle is especially important: it is large enough to matter, and the 2025 curiosity figures suggest many people in that group may still be reachable.
Curiosity and desire in 2025
The 2025 data suggests that religious book interest is not confined to the engaged group:
- 56% of Americans said they are curious about the Bible and/or Jesus (State of the Bible USA 2025).
- 82% of the Movable Middle said they are curious about the Bible and/or Jesus (State of the Bible USA 2025).
- 51% of Americans said they wish they read the Bible more (State of the Bible USA 2025).
- 88% of Scripture Engaged people said they wish they read the Bible more (State of the Bible USA 2025).
- 26% of Bible Disengaged people said they wish they read the Bible more (State of the Bible USA 2025).
That mix is important. It shows that even people who already use the Bible still want more of it, while a meaningful portion of disengaged adults also express some interest.
Age and generation differences
The generational pattern is one of the clearest signals in the data.
Scripture engagement by generation
- Gen Z adults: 11% in 2024, rising to 15% in 2025 (State of the Bible USA 2024; State of the Bible USA 2025).
- Millennials: 12% in 2024, rising to 17% in 2025 (State of the Bible USA 2024; State of the Bible USA 2025).
- Generation X: 21% in 2024, slipping to 20% in 2025 (State of the Bible USA 2024; State of the Bible USA 2025).
- Boomers: 24% Scripture Engaged in 2024 (State of the Bible USA 2024).
The standout story is younger adults. Both Gen Z and Millennials moved upward in 2025, which breaks the assumption that younger groups are uniformly less engaged.
Demographic contrasts worth noting
The 2024 figures show wide variation across racial and religious groups:
- Black Americans were 28% Scripture Engaged in 2024 (State of the Bible USA 2024).
- White Americans were 16% Scripture Engaged in 2024 (State of the Bible USA 2024).
- Hispanic Americans were 13% Scripture Engaged in 2024 (State of the Bible USA 2024).
- Asian Americans were 10% Scripture Engaged in 2024 (State of the Bible USA 2024).
- Evangelicals were 46% Scripture Engaged in 2024 (State of the Bible USA 2024).
- Mainline Protestants were 25% Scripture Engaged in 2024 (State of the Bible USA 2024).
- Historically Black Protestants were 28% Scripture Engaged in 2024 (State of the Bible USA 2024).
- Catholics were 11% Scripture Engaged in 2024 (State of the Bible USA 2024).
These differences show that religious book statistics are heavily shaped by identity, tradition, and geography, not just broad national mood.
Digital Bible usage and platform behavior
Digital access has become a major part of the religious book landscape. The 2025 figures show that the Bible is not only a printed object but also a digital product used across apps and websites.
Digital use breakdown in 2025
| Digital behavior | Share | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Bible Users who accessed the Bible digitally | 66% | State of the Bible USA 2025 |
| Bible Users who accessed the Bible only in print | 34% | State of the Bible USA 2025 |
| Digital Bible Users who used Bible apps | 62% | State of the Bible USA 2025 |
| Digital Bible Users who used Bible-based websites | 30% | State of the Bible USA 2025 |
| Digital Bible Users who used YouTube for Bible content | 27% | State of the Bible USA 2025 |
This comparison shows that digital Bible use is not a single behavior. Apps dominate, websites still matter, and video platforms are also part of the mix.
What digital use suggests
The digital figures point to three separate behaviors:
- Convenience use through apps.
- Reference and study use through Bible-based websites.
- Discovery and teaching use through video platforms.
Because 62% of digital users used apps, the mobile experience appears central. The website share at 30% still represents a large audience, but it is clearly secondary to apps in the supplied data.
Bible use by region and sex in 2025
The 2025 data also shows a geography and gender spread:
- Men reached 42% Bible Use while women were at 41% (State of the Bible USA 2025).
- The South had 48% Bible Users, compared with 47% in 2024 (State of the Bible USA 2025).
- The West and Midwest each had 39% Bible Users, while the Northeast had 33% (State of the Bible USA 2025).
Those are small but meaningful differences. The South remains the highest-use region in the supplied data, while the Northeast trails the others.
A compact regional snapshot
- South: 48% Bible Users (State of the Bible USA 2025).
- West: 39% Bible Users (State of the Bible USA 2025).
- Midwest: 39% Bible Users (State of the Bible USA 2025).
- Northeast: 33% Bible Users (State of the Bible USA 2025).
Distribution and translation statistics
Religious book statistics do not stop at U.S. use. The global translation and distribution numbers show how wide the supply side is, and where the remaining gaps are.
Global distribution in 2022
- The global Bible-distribution report for 2022 counted 166.4 million Scripture items distributed worldwide (United Bible Societies Scripture Distribution Report 2022).
- Brazil distributed 4.8 million Bibles, the most of any country in the UBS top ten (United Bible Societies Scripture Distribution Report 2022).
- The United States distributed 2.6 million Bibles (United Bible Societies Scripture Distribution Report 2022).
- India distributed 2.5 million Bibles (United Bible Societies Scripture Distribution Report 2022).
- Nigeria distributed 2.0 million Bibles (United Bible Societies Scripture Distribution Report 2022).
- China distributed 1.8 million Bibles (United Bible Societies Scripture Distribution Report 2022).
- Kenya distributed more than 1 million Bibles (United Bible Societies Scripture Distribution Report 2022).
These figures show a broad global market, with the U.S. still among the leading countries in distribution volume.
Notable distribution growth examples
Some country-level changes were especially sharp:
- The Dominican Republic increased Bible distribution by 83%, from 6,941 to 12,735 copies (United Bible Societies Scripture Distribution Report 2022).
- The Dominican Republic increased New Testament distribution by 131%, from 1.4 million to 3.3 million copies (United Bible Societies Scripture Distribution Report 2022).
- England and Wales increased Bible distribution by 19% (United Bible Societies Scripture Distribution Report 2022).
- England and Wales increased New Testament distribution by 454% (United Bible Societies Scripture Distribution Report 2022).
- England and Wales increased Portions/Selections by 601% (United Bible Societies Scripture Distribution Report 2022).
- England and Wales increased all local Scriptures by 337% (United Bible Societies Scripture Distribution Report 2022).
- England and Wales increased internet downloads by 832% (United Bible Societies Scripture Distribution Report 2022).
- England and Wales posted an overall distribution increase of 649% (United Bible Societies Scripture Distribution Report 2022).
The internet-download figure is especially notable because it shows how distribution now includes both physical and digital channels.
Translation coverage in 2023
The translation statistics describe access in language terms rather than unit counts.
| Translation measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Languages with the full Bible | 733 | UBS Bible translation statistics report |
| Languages with the New Testament | 1,622 | UBS Bible translation statistics report |
| Languages with portions of Scripture | 1,255 | UBS Bible translation statistics report |
| People with some portion of Scripture in their mother tongue | 7.2 billion | UBS Bible translation statistics report |
| Languages with no Scripture at all | 3,776 | UBS Bible translation statistics report |
| People still without the full Bible | 1.5 billion | UBS Bible translation statistics report |
The most useful way to read this table is to compare access and absence together. On one hand, 7.2 billion people had some portion of Scripture in their mother tongue. On the other, 3,776 languages still had no Scripture at all, affecting 201 million people (UBS Bible translation statistics report).
Translation pipeline and digital library scale
The supply-side pipeline is still active:
- The UBS and partners set a goal to complete 1,200 Scripture translations by 2038 (UBS Bible translation statistics report).
- Of those, 880 are first translations and 320 are new or revised translations (UBS Bible translation statistics report).
- By early 2023, 133 Bible translations had been completed and 333 were in progress (UBS Bible translation statistics report).
- 734 targeted translations had not yet started by early 2023 (UBS Bible translation statistics report).
The Digital Bible Library also shows scale on the digital side:
- It contained 3,217 scripture texts in 1,968 languages by early 2023 (UBS Bible translation statistics report).
- It served languages used by 6.1 billion people (UBS Bible translation statistics report).
- More than 63% of the 1,362 complete Bibles in the library were provided by Bible Societies (UBS Bible translation statistics report).
- It stored about 1,638 audio Scriptures in languages used by 5.9 billion people (UBS Bible translation statistics report).
- It held 25 sign-language translations with an audience potential of 2.4 million people (UBS Bible translation statistics report).
- It held Braille files in 44 languages (UBS Bible translation statistics report).
Recent milestone markers
A few dated milestones show how quickly the digital library scaled in 2022:
- In March 2022, the Digital Bible Library reached 1,500 audio items and 3,000 text records (UBS Bible translation statistics report).
- In June 2022, it reached text content in 1,900 languages (UBS Bible translation statistics report).
- In December 2022, it reached 3,200 text records (UBS Bible translation statistics report).
What the numbers suggest
The supplied religious book statistics point to a market with three layers:
- A very large ownership base.
- A smaller but still substantial active user base.
- A growing digital access layer that changes how people read, listen, and search.
The most important patterns are easy to summarize:
- Ownership is broad, with 77% of Americans owning a Bible in 2025 (State of the Bible USA 2025).
- Use is concentrated, with 38% of adults counted as Bible Users in 2024 (State of the Bible USA 2024).
- Desire remains strong, with 51% of Americans wishing they read the Bible more in 2025 (State of the Bible USA 2025).
- Digital habits are now normal, with 66% of Bible Users accessing the Bible digitally in 2025 (State of the Bible USA 2025).
- Global translation and distribution remain active, with 166.4 million Scripture items distributed worldwide in 2022 and 733 languages with a full Bible in 2023 (United Bible Societies Scripture Distribution Report 2022; UBS Bible translation statistics report).
If you are studying religious book statistics for audience size, engagement, or content strategy, the key insight is that interest is larger than regular use, and digital behavior is now central to the way many people interact with scripture.