UK publishing income reaches a record £7.4bn in 2025
Publishers Association figures show UK publishing income of £7.4bn in 2025, with digital audiobooks up 10% and print holding steady.
The Publishers Association published its figures for 2025 on 3 June 2026. It reported total UK publishing revenue of £7.4 billion, up 3% and the highest on record, with the home market at £2.6 billion and exports at £4.7 billion, up 4%. Across all sectors, print revenue was £3.8 billion, unchanged, and digital revenue £3.6 billion, up 7%.
Consumer publishing earned £2.6 billion, up 3%. Fiction rose 8% to £1.1 billion and children's books rose 7% to £493 million, while non-fiction fell 3% to £1.0 billion. Digital audiobooks brought in £255 million, up 10%, which the association said was about a tenth of the consumer market. Print still made up 79% of consumer revenue.
Academic publishing grew 5% to £3.7 billion. Education publishing fell 4% to £636 million, with the home market down 13%; the association pointed to squeezed school budgets and the new curriculum due in 2028.
Why it matters: the pattern is similar to 2024, with fiction, children's books and audio growing and non-fiction under pressure. Year-to-year comparisons should use the association's own percentage changes, since earlier figures can be revised. For small publishers, print remains the core of consumer sales, and audio a steadily growing share.
Source: Publishers Association: Publishing reaches highest ever revenue in 2025.