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A data firm tracking British book sales didn’t set out to document a Christian revival. But that’s what its latest figures suggest.

Bible sales in Britain last year reached their highest level since records began, adding fresh evidence that the country’s Christian revival is gathering pace.

Data firm NielsenIQ BookData confirmed that spending on Bibles rose 19 per cent in 2025 — taking sales to their highest point since tracking began in 1998.

GB News, which first reported the figures, noted that SPCK Group, one of Britain’s leading Christian publishers, recorded £6.3 million in Bible sales last year, more than double the £2.7 million recorded in 2019.

SPCK’s CEO, Sam Richardson, said the numbers were “evidence of a significant cultural shift” towards religion in Britain.

“The significant and sustained upward trend in Bible sales suggests that more and more people are investigating the Christian faith themselves and seeking to draw their own conclusions about its truth,” he said.

Even The Guardian covered the figures, reporting the same record-breaking sales data in its analysis of British publishing trends.

Confirming the Quiet Revival

The sales figures align with data the Bible Society UK published last year in its landmark Quiet Revival report — covered extensively by The Daily Declaration when it was released in April 2025.

That report, drawing on nationally representative YouGov surveys, found that monthly church attendance in England and Wales had risen from 3.7 million to 5.8 million adults between 2018 and 2024 — a 56 per cent increase.

The fastest growth was among 18 to 24-year-olds, whose monthly attendance quadrupled from 4 per cent to 16 per cent over the same period.

Some researchers have cautioned that opt-in surveys tend to attract more religiously engaged respondents, and point to random-sample datasets showing more modest trends. The Bible Society has defended its methodology, with report co-author Dr Rob Barward-Symmons explaining the YouGov surveys used “an internationally standard method of polling.”

A separate YouGov bi-annual tracker, cited by GB News, found that belief in God among 18 to 24-year-olds almost tripled in three and a half years — rising from 16 per cent in August 2021 to 45 per cent in January 2025.

Among 25 to 49-year-olds, belief rose from 21 per cent to 33 per cent over the same period.

Dr Barward-Symmons pointed to the mental health crisis as a driver.

“With much of the population struggling with mental health, loneliness and a loss of meaning in life, in particular young people, church appears to be offering an answer,” he told GB News.

The Quiet Revival report found churchgoers are less likely to report frequent anxiety or depression — particularly young women, who showed a 21-point drop compared to non-churchgoing peers.

Faith Chosen, Not Inherited

What the Bible sales data and the Quiet Revival report together suggest is a Christianity that is increasingly intentional.

Among churchgoers, 67 per cent now read the Bible at least once a week outside of services, up from 54 per cent in 2018.

Richardson read the figures as evidence of intent: buyers are not cultural Christians going through the motions but people weighing the Bible’s claims for themselves.

Philip Stone of NielsenIQ BookData told GB News that the surge in Bible sales “highlights sustained demand for escapism and insight” — though the Quiet Revival data suggests something more purposeful than escapism.

The report’s authors described today’s younger believers as “committed, spiritually active, and often vocal about their faith.”

The revival also carries social dimensions. The Quiet Revival report found churchgoers are significantly more likely than others to volunteer, donate to food banks, and support charitable causes.

Among 18 to 34-year-old male churchgoers, 68 per cent say they feel close to people in their local area — compared to just 27 per cent of non-churchgoing men their age.

The last census recorded 27.5 million people in England and Wales — just over 46 per cent of the population — identifying as Christian.

The Quiet Revival has continued to build since the Bible Society first documented it. The 2025 Bible sales figures suggest the movement has not peaked.

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Image courtesy of Unsplash.