Close to one in ten (9.5%) EU residents purchased e-books or audiobooks during 2025, according to new data on digital reading formats by Eurostat.
The percentage of individuals purchasing e-books and audiobooks was up from 7.3% in 2024, the data showed, reflecting continued growth in the digital consumption of books and audio content.
The highest share was recorded in Ireland, where 24.5% of the population purchased e-books/audiobooks during 2025, followed by Denmark (22.5%) and Croatia (21.0%)
At the other end of the scale, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia and Latvia each reported shares below 5%.
Year-on-year increase
In terms of the biggest year-on-year increase in purchases, Croatia led the way, with a rise of 16 percentage points compared with 2024. Greece also saw growth, increasing by 7.2 percentage points, while Germany and Cyprus reported gains of 3.7 and 4.0 percentage points, respectively, Eurostat noted.
In contrast, Finland saw a decline of 4.8 percentage points, with smaller decreases recorded in Portugal and Malta.
The figures were released to coincide with World Book and Copyright Day, which took place on 23 April.
Eurostat’s findings form part of a broader dataset on how individuals use the internet and digital services. The results contribute to ongoing analysis of digitalisation trends across Europe, including changes in media consumption and online purchasing habits. Read more here.
