In January 2026, 25% of US adults were Active Bible Users, meaning that they engaged with the Bible independently at least weekly. A further 13% were Occasional Bible Users, while 62% were not Bible Users under the American Bible Society’s definitions. Church services and events were excluded from this measure. (American Bible Society)

The evidence shows no single, universal rate of Bible reading. Pew asked about “scripture”, Barna measured self-reported weekly Bible reading, and the American Bible Society used a defined Bible-use measure that includes more than reading. Their results describe related but distinct behaviours.

The clearest contrast is between format and generation. Print remained the most widely used monthly format among US Bible Users overall, at 78%, but digital text narrowly led print among adult Gen Z Bible Users, by 76% to 74%. Audio and video were also minority formats overall, yet 51% of Millennial Bible Users used audio monthly. (American Bible Society)

This article brings together 24 directly verified data points on use, frequency, reading extent, demographics, formats, apps, plans and study practices. The distinctions matter to journalists, Christian publishers, church leaders, educators and readers because apparently conflicting figures can describe different behaviours, populations and periods rather than errors in the evidence.

Key findings

• 25% of US adults were Active Bible Users in January 2026, while 13% were Occasional Bible Users and 62% were not Bible Users. (American Bible Society)
• 48% of US adults said they had read about half, most or all of the Bible in the 2026 survey. (American Bible Society)
• 22% of US adults read scripture outside religious services at least weekly in Pew’s 2023–24 Religious Landscape Study. (Pew Research Center)
• 42% of US adults reported weekly Bible reading in Barna’s 2025 data, compared with 50% among self-identified Christians. This is a different measure from the American Bible Society’s Active Bible User category. (Barna)
• 68% of Black US adults were Bible Users in January 2025, compared with 41% of Hispanic adults, 38% of Asian adults and 37% of White adults. (American Bible Society)
• 78% of US Bible Users used printed Bible text at least monthly in 2026, compared with 63% using digital text, 39% audio and 37% video. (American Bible Society)
• 76% of adult Gen Z Bible Users used digital Bible text monthly, just ahead of the 74% who used print. (American Bible Society)
• More than 3 million people worldwide subscribed to one-year Bible Plans on YouVersion on 1 January 2025, 18% more than on New Year’s Day 2024. This is worldwide platform telemetry, not a population estimate. (YouVersion)

1. Overall Bible use and engagement

25% is the most useful starting point for the latest US picture, but not a universal estimate of “people who read the Bible”. ABS defines Bible use as reading, listening to or praying with the Bible independently, outside a church service or event. Occasional Bible Users do this three or four times a year or monthly; Active Bible Users do it at least weekly. The Scripture Engagement Scale also considers impact and centrality.

The 17% classed as Scripture Engaged scored at least 100 on the American Bible Society’s 14-item scale; the Movable Middle scored 70–99. These engagement categories are not substitutes for a weekly-reading rate. (American Bible Society)

The annual results for men came from separate cross-sectional samples, not the same people followed over time. ABS surveyed 2,649 US adults from 8 to 27 January 2026; Barna’s 2025 analysis used 12,116 quota-sampled online interviews with minimal weighting. (American Bible Society; Barna)

2. Bible-reading frequency and completion

48% of US adults said they had read at least about half of the Bible, but this self-reported reading extent is different from a measure of current frequency.

The largest single category was “a little”, at 35%; 10% said “none” and 7% were unsure. ABS introduced the question in 2026, so it is not a trend measure. (American Bible Society)

The 74% result for reading-plan users is an association, not proof that plans caused greater completion. The subgroup size was not published. (American Bible Society)

Pew’s 36,908-person study ran from 17 July 2023 to 4 March 2024 and was published in 2025. It asked about scripture, and method changes prevent direct comparison with 2007 or 2014. (Pew Research Center)

3. Bible reading by age and demographic group

Demographic differences depend on the measure being used. The reported percentages varied by race and ethnicity in both general Bible use and digital scripture support, and they also varied by religious tradition for weekly scripture reading. None of these comparisons establishes why the differences exist.

Definitions limit comparison. In its 2025 report, ABS defined a Bible User as someone who interacted with the Bible on their own at least three times a year. Pew measured weekly reading of scripture outside religious services; this may refer to the respondent’s own religious scripture rather than specifically to the Bible. (American Bible Society; Pew Research Center)

Barna defined Gen Z as 1999–2015, Millennials as 1984–1998, Gen X as 1965–1983 and Boomers as 1946–1964, interviewing adults only. These ranges differ from ABS’s. (Barna)

The digital figures cover any use, not reading frequency; Pew’s Asian estimate represented English-speaking adults only. ABS omitted other ethnic designations because samples were too small.

4. Print, digital and audio Bible use

Print led among US Bible Users overall, while digital text narrowly led print in the adult Gen Z and Millennial subgroups. The results also report audio and video use in those subgroups. Formats were not mutually exclusive, so the percentages should not be added together or treated as evidence that one format replaced another.

These results describe Bible Users, not all US adults. Format use was measured at least monthly.

For more on moving between print and digital Bible study, see [Internal link: Scripture Scanner app].

The survey does not show whether any format produces greater understanding or engagement.

5. Bible apps, websites and platform use

Among US digital Bible Users, apps were the leading platform, used by 62% in the American Bible Society’s January 2025 survey. Population surveys and platform telemetry provide different measures: one estimates the share of a defined population reporting use, while the other records activity inside a particular service.

ABS allowed multiple platform choices and did not publish the subgroup size. Pew’s 11,377-person survey combined apps and websites and asked about help or reminders for reading scripture. (Pew Research Center)

YouVersion did not publish regional user totals or a denominator. Its growth rates describe platform activity, not the proportion of residents using a Bible.

For more on using Scripture Scanner when studying difficult passages, see [Internal link: How Scripture Scanner works]. Scripture Scanner is not the source of any third-party figure here.

6. Reading plans and study habits

Structured practices were more common among US Scripture Engaged Bible Users than among US Bible Users in the Movable Middle. The largest gap shown here is in following a guide, schedule, plan or programme: 50% compared with 21%. This is a relationship between measures, not evidence that the practice caused the engagement category.

ABS’s practice results cover Bible Users in two engagement segments, with multiple answers allowed. Because the engagement score incorporates frequency, impact and centrality, the differences do not prove that the practices create engagement.

Pew combined prayer groups, scripture-study groups and religious education programmes. Online and in-person participation could overlap, and collection mode changed after 2014. (Pew Research Center)

YouVersion’s figures are platform events, not survey estimates. No account methodology or population denominator was published, so they cannot show the worldwide share following a plan.

For more on Bible-study technology alongside reading plans, see [Internal link: Relevant Bible-study article].

Summary: 12 key Bible reading statistics

Methodology

We selected figures that address Bible use, reading frequency and extent, demographic variation, formats, digital services and study practices. Primary research organisations and official platform reports were prioritised. Statistics round-ups, search snippets and secondary blogs were not used as evidence.

Every data point was checked against the original report page, table or official source page. The review recorded geography, fieldwork period, publication year, sample size, population and definition. Figures without direct verification were excluded.

Apparently conflicting figures often use different definitions. An ABS Bible User, an ABS Active Bible User, a Pew weekly scripture reader and a Barna weekly Bible reader are not equivalent. Survey dates and collection methods also differ. YouVersion statistics are platform telemetry and should not be interpreted as population estimates.

This page was last updated on 21 October 2026.

Three chart ideas

1. Bible format use overall and by generation. A grouped bar chart comparing print, digital text, audio and video among all US Bible Users, adult Gen Z Bible Users and Millennial Bible Users in 2026. Alt text: “Grouped bars show print leading overall at 78%, digital narrowly leading print among Gen Z at 76% versus 74%, and audio reaching 51% among Millennials.” (Source)
2. How much of the Bible US adults say they have read. A horizontal bar chart for all, most, about half, a little, none and not sure. Alt text: “Horizontal bars show 17% reporting all, 17% most, 14% about half, 35% a little, 10% none and 7% not sure.” (Source)
3. Study practices by Scripture Engagement segment. A paired-bar chart comparing reading plans, reading at the same time of day and joining a Bible-study group among Scripture Engaged Bible Users and Bible Users in the Movable Middle. Alt text: “Paired bars show higher reported use among Scripture Engaged Bible Users: plans 50% versus 21%, a regular time 43% versus 17%, and group study 40% versus 14%.” (Source)

Sources

• American Bible Society, State of the Bible: USA 2026, 2026. Chapter 1: The Bible in America Today and Methodology and Definitions.
• American Bible Society, “State of the Bible 2026: Chapter 1”, 2026. Official press release.
• American Bible Society, State of the Bible: USA 2025, 2025. Official report PDF.
• Pew Research Center, 2023–24 Religious Landscape Study: Prayer and other religious practices, published 2025. Official report page.
• Pew Research Center, Online Religious Services Appeal to Many Americans, but Going in Person Remains More Popular, 2023. Official report.
• Barna Group and Gloo, State of the Church 2025: How Millennials and Gen Z Are Driving a Bible Reading Comeback, 2025. Official analysis.
• YouVersion, 2025 Verse of the Year / Year of Unprecedented Growth, 2025. Official newsroom release.