Bible Reading Statistics 2027: Latest 2026 Data and Trends

How many Americans read the Bible, and how often? The latest sourced figures from the American Bible Society, Lifeway Research and Barna Group. Measures differ between studies, so each figure names its source. Every figure links to its original study. Updated October 2026.

Bible reading statistics at a glance

Statistic	Figure	Year	Source
Bible Users in the U.S. (38% in 2024)	41%	2025	American Bible Society
Americans who read the Bible once a week or more	25%	2025	Lifeway Research
Adults who read the Bible weekly (30% in 2024)	42%	2025	Barna Group
Americans who have not read any of the Bible	10%	2026	American Bible Society
Americans in the Movable Middle, curious about the Bible	28%	2026	American Bible Society
Americans who own a Bible	77%	2025	Lifeway Research
Americans who wish they read the Bible more	51%	2025	Lifeway Research
Americans who believe the Bible is accurate in all it teaches	49%	2026	Lifeway Research
Churchgoers who read the Bible at least a few times a week	61%	2026	Lifeway Research
Churchgoers who read the Bible every day (16% in 2007)	31%	2025	Lifeway Research
People who read the Bible digitally at least sometimes	67%	2025	American Bible Society
Scripture Engaged adults: Gen Z and Millennials	11% and 12%	2025	American Bible Society

How many Americans read the Bible?

Bible Users in the U.S. 41% (2025), 38% (2024) · American Bible Society, 2025
Americans who read the Bible once a week or more 25% · Lifeway Research, 2025
Adults who read the Bible weekly 42% (2025), 30% (2024) · Barna Group, 2025
Americans who have not read any of the Bible 10% · American Bible Society, 2026
Americans in the Movable Middle, curious about the Bible 28% · American Bible Society, 2026
Americans who own a Bible 77% · Lifeway Research, 2025
Americans who wish they read the Bible more 51% · Lifeway Research, 2025
Christians worldwide who engage with the Bible at least weekly 42% · American Bible Society, 2025

Bible reading among churchgoers

Churchgoers who read the Bible at least a few times a week 61% · Lifeway Research, 2026
Churchgoers who regularly read the Bible over time 36% (2007), 61% (2025) · Lifeway Research, 2025
Churchgoers who read the Bible every day over time 31% (2025), 16% (2007) · Lifeway Research, 2025
Churchgoers' agreement with statements about Bible engagement 74% say the Bible has authority over every area of life · Lifeway Research, 2026
Churchgoers who study the Bible every day, by generation Gen Z 22%, Millennials 18% · Lifeway Research, 2025
Protestant churchgoers' views on reading and explaining the Bible 95% enjoy exploring a passage · Lifeway Research, 2026
Desperately miss time with God if several days pass without reading the Bible 62% agree · Lifeway Research, 2025

What Americans believe about the Bible

Americans who believe the Bible is accurate in all it teaches 49% · Lifeway Research, 2026

How people read: print and digital

Where people read the Bible 67% digital at least sometimes · American Bible Society, 2025

What regular Bible reading goes with

Strongly agree Bible usage has led them to show more loving behavior 55% of practicing Christians · Lifeway Research, 2026
Daily Bible readers who have a strong sense of identity 69% · Lifeway Research, 2025
Daily Bible readers aware that God cares deeply about their suffering 94% · American Bible Society, 2025
Americans who donate to charity or church, by Bible engagement 86% of the Scripture Engaged donate, 51% of the Bible Disengaged · American Bible Society, 2025

The Bible and AI

Pastors concerned about AI misinterpreting scripture 94% · Barna Group, 2026

Looking ahead to 2027: what the latest data points to

No 2027 statistics have been published yet. Here is what the newest readings suggest. We update this page as new research arrives.

Regular reading among churchgoers has climbed for years. 36% read the Bible regularly in 2007, 46% in 2012, 59% in 2019 and 61% in 2025, and daily reading rose from 16% to 31% (Lifeway Research). A straight-line trend would put 2027 near 67%, but with only four data points the range is wide (about 45% to 90%), so treat it as a direction, not a prediction. See the data.
Bible Use is up. 41% of Americans were Bible Users in 2025, up from 38% in 2024 (American Bible Society). See the data.
A large middle is open. 28% of Americans are in the Movable Middle, curious about the Bible but not deeply engaged, while 10% have not read any of it (American Bible Society, 2026). See the data.

Bible reading statistics: common questions

How many Americans read the Bible?

It depends on the study. The American Bible Society counts 41% of Americans as Bible Users in 2025, up from 38% in 2024. Lifeway Research found 25% read the Bible once a week or more (2025), and Barna Group found 42% of adults read it weekly (2025). Each study defines reading differently.

What percent of Christians read the Bible daily?

31% of Protestant churchgoers read the Bible every day (2025), up from 16% in 2007, and 61% read it at least a few times a week (2026) (Lifeway Research).

How many Americans own a Bible?

77% of Americans say they own a Bible (Lifeway Research, 2025), and 51% wish they read it more.

What percentage of Americans have never read the Bible?

10% of Americans say they have not read any of the Bible (American Bible Society, 2026).

Do people read the Bible on their phones?

67% of Bible readers use digital formats at least sometimes, 62% of digital readers use a Bible app and 33% read in print only (American Bible Society, 2025).

Are young people reading the Bible?

Among all adults, 11% of Gen Z and 12% of Millennials are Scripture Engaged (American Bible Society, 2025). Among churchgoers, Gen Z leads daily Bible study at 22%, ahead of Millennials at 18% (Lifeway Research).

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About this data

Leader Insights collects statistics about U.S. churches from published research. Every number is checked against the wording of the original source before it is published, and each statistic links back to the study it came from. Different studies define the same topic differently, so figures from different sources are not directly comparable; each is labeled with its publisher and year.