Printed Books vs eBooks Statistics [2026]

Print still dominates reading behavior, but digital keeps expanding in the places where convenience matters most. In the U.S., 65% of adults say they read a print book in the past year, while about 30% say they read an eBook.

At the industry level, U.S. publishers reported $7.74B in hardcover revenue and $7.68B in trade paperback revenue in 2024, while eBooks generated $2.1B.

That gap explains the current reality: eBooks are entrenched and profitable, but printed books remain the core product for most readers and most publishing revenue.

Key stats

• In the US publishing industry, print formats still did the heavy lifting in 2024, generating 50.5% of publisher revenue.
• The US eBook market was basically flat, with eBooks up 1.5% in 2024 to about $2.1B in publisher revenue.
• Even combined, digital audio and eBooks were a smaller slice: 14% of total US publishing revenue in 2024.
• Hardbacks and paperbacks were nearly neck and neck in the US: $7.9B from hardbacks and $7.8B from paperbacks in 2024.
• In UK consumer publishing, print stayed dominant in 2024, bringing in about £2.0B, while digital reached £566M after a 17% jump year over year.
• In the US print book market, annual print unit sales hit about 767 million in 2023 (a 3% dip vs 2022), showing print volume is huge even when it softens.
• Print reading still beats eBook reading among US adults: in Pew’s survey, 65% read a print book in the past year, versus 30% who read an eBook.
• Purely digital readers are a minority: only 9% of US adults said they read only digital formats (eBooks or audiobooks) and no print in the past 12 months.
• A big middle group mixes formats: 33% of US adults said they read both print and digital in the past year.

Are Printed Books or eBooks More Popular With Readers?

In the U.S., print remains the most commonly read format.

• 65% of U.S. adults read a print book in the past 12 months.
• 30% of U.S. adults read an eBook in the same period.

This doesn’t mean eBooks are niche. It means most eBook readers are “dual-format” readers who also buy print. Pew’s reporting also highlights overlap (many people read both print and digital rather than choosing only one).

Which Format Makes Publishers More Money?

In the U.S., print drives the largest share of consumer-book revenue, even after more than a decade of mainstream eBooks.

From the Association of American Publishers’ StatShot annual reporting for 2024:

• Hardcover sales: $7.74B (up 3.6%)
• Trade paperback sales: $7.68B (up 3.0%)
• Mass market paperback sales: $217M (down 14.1%)
• eBook revenue: $2.1B (up 1.5%)
• Digital audio revenue: $2.4B (up 22.5%)

One important nuance: the “print vs eBook” debate is increasingly a three-format market. Audiobooks are growing faster than either print or eBooks in publisher revenue terms.

Are Print Books Still Growing, or Is Print Declining?

Print is not collapsing, but it is shifting.

In the U.S., print unit sales in 2024 were 782.7 million, slightly up from 778.3 million in 2023 (and still below 2021 highs).

What is clearly declining is one specific print format: mass-market paperbacks.

• U.S. mass-market paperback sales fell from 131M units (2004) to 21M units (2024), and major distribution decisions in 2025–2026 accelerated the category’s retreat from many physical retailers.

That doesn’t mean print is disappearing. It means print is consolidating into higher-priced formats (hardcover and trade paperback) while the cheapest print option is fading.

Are eBooks Still Growing, or Have They Plateaued?

In U.S. publisher reporting, eBooks look steady rather than explosive.

• eBooks grew 1.5% in 2024 to $2.1B.

That’s not “eBooks are dying.” It’s “eBooks are mature.” Growth is incremental because the category already captured its core convenience-driven audience years ago.

Where digital is growing faster is library digital lending and audiobooks, not necessarily retail eBook revenue.

How Big Is Digital Reading Through Libraries?

Digital reading through libraries has become one of the biggest, least-discussed drivers of eBook and audiobook consumption.

OverDrive (Libby/Sora) reported that in 2024:

• 739.5M total digital checkouts (+17% YoY)
• 366.2M eBook borrows (+7% YoY)
• 278.3M audiobook borrows (+19% YoY)

This matters because it shows a consumer behavior pattern: many readers prefer digital access when the price barrier is removed. Print may be preferred emotionally, but digital wins on friction.

Do Readers Learn Better From Print or Screens?

This is one of the most contested parts of the debate, and the best answer is: it depends on context, age, and what you mean by “learn better.”

Recent research doesn’t support a single universal rule:

• A 2024 meta-analysis reported no significant overall difference in comprehension between paper and digital on average, while noting meaningful differences under moderating conditions (task type, design, learner variables).
• Earlier meta-analytic work and research commentary still frequently finds advantages for print, especially for deeper comprehension and certain nonfiction tasks, and warns about attention and skimming behaviors on screens.

Practical takeaway: if your content requires sustained attention, annotation, and recall, print often performs better. If your content requires portability, searchability, and rapid access, digital often performs better. The advantage is less about “format” and more about how the reading experience is designed.

Which Demographics Prefer Print vs eBooks?

The U.S. survey picture shows format preferences vary by age, education, and device habits, but print remains widely used across groups.

A separate, highly visible trend in the commercial market is that younger buyers are often driving print purchases through social discovery (BookTok, collector editions, special hardcovers). NielsenIQ BookData reporting has linked 2024 performance to strong fiction and social-driven discovery in multiple markets.

So the “young people only want digital” stereotype doesn’t hold up well in actual sales behavior.

Are Other Countries Seeing the Same Pattern as the U.S.?

Broadly yes: print remains central, digital is meaningful, and audio is the fastest-growing digital format.

In the UK, industry reporting for 2024 indicated rising eBook revenue and even stronger growth in audiobooks (multiple trade analyses summarize Publishers Association findings).

Across international book markets, NielsenIQ BookData and GfK reporting has emphasized:

• fiction strength
• declining nonfiction units in many regions
• price increases offsetting unit declines in some markets

Translation: format shifts are real, but macro trends (genre mix, price inflation, retail channels) often matter more than “print vs eBook” alone.

What Are the Main Pros and Cons Driving Print vs eBook Adoption?

The market’s behavior maps closely to a simple tradeoff.

Why print wins

• Physical ownership, collectability, gifting
• Lower distraction environment
• Stronger browsing in bookstores
• Better perceived value for many consumers

Why eBooks win

• Instant access and portability
• Adjustable fonts (accessibility)
• Search and highlight features
• Often cheaper than hardcover (though not always)
• Works well for high-volume readers (romance, genre fiction)

What’s changing in 2025–2026 is that print is getting more premium, while the “cheap print” segment (mass market paperback) is shrinking.

What’s the Outlook Through 2030?

Most credible forecasts expect the overall book market to keep growing modestly, with ongoing mix shifts across formats and channels.

One example from a major market-research provider estimates the global books market at about $151B in 2024 with continued growth toward 2030 (estimate-based, methodology-dependent).

A safer interpretation than any single forecast number:

• Print will remain the primary revenue base in consumer books.
• eBooks will remain a stable, mature segment (especially for genre fiction and price-sensitive readers).
• Audiobooks and subscription models will keep taking share of “time spent reading,” even when print remains the preferred purchase format.

Sources

1. Pew Research Center. Three-in-ten Americans now read e-books
2. Association of American Publishers (AAP). AAP StatShot Annual Report: Publishing Revenues Totaled $32.5 Billion
3. Publishers Weekly. Publishing Industry Sales Saw Modest Gains
4. Publishers Weekly. Print Book Sales Saw a Small Sales Increase
5. OverDrive. Libraries break digital lending records with over 739 million checkouts
6. NielsenIQ BookData / GfK. International Book Markets: Strong fiction and rising prices counter declining non-fiction sales
7. ScienceDirect. Which reading comprehension is better? A meta-analysis of digital reading versus paper reading
8. Technical University of Munich (EdTech). Why reading performance is better on paper than on screens
9. The Guardian. America says goodbye to the mass-market paperback
10. Grand View Research. Books Market Size, Share & Growth | Industry Report