After years of steady decline, Bible involvement in the United States has been upward for the first time in four years.
According to a 2025 Bible Report published by the American Bible Society (ABS), roughly 11 million Americans read the Bible this year compared to 2024. This rise is particularly pronounced among millennials, Xers, and men.
“We were incredibly encouraged,” Dr. John Pleik, Chief Innovation Director of the American Bible Society, said in an interview with Christian Daily International following a presentation at the recent Evangelical Press Association (EPA) Annual Conference in Branson, Missouri. “It’s not a trend yet, but it’s a key step in the right direction.”
The Bible Report, which is now in its 15th year, examines a representative panel of American adults each year to assess its relationship with Scripture, church involvement, and faith. The latest findings collected in January 2025 suggest significant changes in how Americans interact with the Bible, particularly in traditionally liberated regions and demographics.
The Bible uses rebounds from the decline in the pandemic
In 2021, 50% of American adults were considered “Bible users.” It is defined by ABS as people who read the Bible at least three or four times a year outside of religious service. However, the numbers plummeted after a brief spiritual bump from the pandemic. It was 40% in 2022, 39% in 2023, and 38% in 2024.
Then there was a 3% point rebound in early 2025. The ABS team was surprised. “That’s the equivalent of 11 million people picking up a Bible that wasn’t the case last year,” Plake said.
This rise was not even. Engagement remained flat among women and seniors, the traditional backbone of biblical readers. However, men recorded a 21% increase, millennials surged 30%, and Gen Xers rose 14%.
“This tells me something is upset, especially among younger adult men,” Plake said. “And that’s not what we expected.”
Geographically, the most notable increase occurred in some of the most secular regions of the country.
In the northeast, Bible users rose from 28% to 33%. This is a statistically significant 18% increase. The same 18% increase was seen in the US West, while the Midwest experienced a 15% jump. In contrast, Bible use in the southern states (often called the Bible Belt) was stable.
The San Francisco Gulf region, long known for its low religious affiliation, also produced some incredible results. A special regional analysis by ABS found that only 19% of Bay Area residents over the age of 61 are Bible users, with millennials and Gen Z residents in the area being more involved than counterparts nationwide, compared to 46% of those age groups.
Of Bay Area Millennials, 40% were identified as Bible users, slightly expanding the national average of 39%. For Gen Z, the Bay Area difference was 37%, but 36% nationwide.
“These findings challenge the assumption that places like the Bay Area are spiritual deserts,” Plake said. “The younger generation is not closed to the Bible, often the more distant elders.”
Cultural change and “Moving middle”
The authors of the report are careful not to over-interpret the findings, but Plake believes this could indicate a deeper cultural undercurrent.
Last October, the Wall Street Journal reported an increase in Bible sales of 22% year-on-year. This has reported evidence that many purchases were from first-time buyers, especially young people. It suggests that, combined with ABS’s own data, may be an increasing mental curiosity.
“There are 71 million Americans in what we call ‘movable middle’,” Plake explained. “They are interested in the Bible, but they are uncertain. They need someone to come with them, answer their questions and help them discover the bigger stories of the Bible.”
ABS research shows that almost half of all Americans who identify as Christians but do not actively practice them are open to “unpractical Christians” re-engaged with the Bible and learning more about Jesus.
“They may be disillusioned with the church and the way the Bible was presented to them,” Plaque said. “In many cases, they have been taught Bible stories as moral stories (Samson, Jonah, Noah), but they missed the epic tale of Jesus, which is where we need to do better.”
The report highlights the 52 million Americans identified as “involved in the Bible” (which consistently interacts in ways that shape their relationship with the Bible and life choices).
“These people love God’s Word and are deeply transformed by it,” Plake said. “But they don’t always know how to defend it. That’s the next challenge for churches and ministries. We help them share that message naturally and effectively.”
Plake sees this as a personal opportunity, not just an institutional opportunity.
“If you care about the Bible, now is the time to speak up,” he said. “Your friends, neighbors, coworkers – they’re asking mental questions. Many of them are open even if they haven’t stepped in on Sundays. And you can go that path with them.”
In addition to domestic trends, ABS has begun comparing its findings with global data. Chapter 2 of the 2025 Bible Report contains insights from the Patmos World Bible Engagement Study, a new international survey conducted by the British and Foreign Bible Society in collaboration with Gallup.
The Patmos survey, released on April 30th, provides a comparative snapshot of Bible involvement in 85 countries. The ABS chapter draws the connections between American trends and the global psychomotor movement.
“We’re looking at how the United States fits into this bigger spiritual ecosystem,” Plake said. “When it comes to biblical involvement, human prosperity, and faith identity, it’s fascinating to see Americans align and diverge from other parts of the world.”
Another chapter explores deeper and more prosperous people using data from global research published in April 2025.
Connect text to context
Participating in ABS in 2017, Plake brings a unique combination of pastoral experiences, academic research and mythological insights to his work. He sees data not only as numbers, but as a story waiting to be understood.
“My goal was to help connect biblical texts to the context of people’s lives,” he said. “Numbers don’t change lives, but they help us understand the world we are trying to reach.”
Plake hopes that the 2025 report will encourage churches and Christian leaders in both the US and the world to lean towards opportunities rather than just the challenges of our present moment.
“Yes, fewer people read the Bible than we would like,” he said. “But the fact that the numbers are increasing, especially among traditionally liberated people, means that the ground is more fertile than we think.”
Words to the Churches of the World
Speaking to people outside the US, Plake emphasized that the state of the Bible Report focuses on the US, but its meaning goes far beyond the US borders.
“The global church can learn what’s going on here, and we can certainly learn from what’s going on overseas,” he said. “The spiritual hunger we see among young Americans may reflect trends elsewhere, which is why these international comparisons are so important.”
Plake pointed to the importance of collaboration between biblical societies around the world, and pointed out the dedication of ABS to global Bible access, translation and digital innovation.
“Through apps, printing, trauma healing programs, or oral storytelling, we want people to meet God through God’s Word everywhere,” he said.
As future chapters of the 2025 Bible Report are set to unleash topics such as trauma recovery, Bible, mental health, and the role of faith in public life, Plake believes this study will continue to drive Christians to serve more faithfully and compassionately.
“Data is not a mission,” he said. “It’s just a tool. But it’s a powerful tool when it helps us understand where our minds are already working and how we can participate.”
For more information about the 2025 State of the Bible Report, visit Amerynbible.org.
