International book markets in 2025: mixed preliminary results
NielsenIQ BookData and GfK Entertainment presented their international report for the first eight months of 2025 at the Frankfurt Book Fair. The report draws mixed conclusions: Eleven of the 19 regions surveyed reported an increase in sales, which was accompanied by significant price increases in some cases. Crime novels sold particularly well, while non-fiction sales declined in many places.
Looking back on a challenging year
The international book markets can look back on a challenging year so far, with subdued non-fiction sales but strong performance in fiction genres such as crime novels and thrillers, science fiction, and fantasy. As the representative data shows, a total of 11 of the 19 regions surveyed reported an increase in sales compared to the same period last year. Growth was particularly strong in India (+28.6 percent), Brazil (+10.8 percent), Colombia (+9.6 percent), and Portugal (+8.4 percent).
Slight decline in France and the UK
France and the UK, the largest markets in the analysis with 186 million and 115 million books sold respectively, ended the first eight months of 2025 with a slight decline in sales of -0.8 percent and -0.4 percent respectively. The Netherlands (-0.7 percent), Poland (-1.3 percent), German-speaking Switzerland (-0.9 percent) and Italy (-2.6 percent) also recorded losses. The largest decline was in French-speaking Switzerland, Romandy (-4.4 percent).
Higher prices counteract sales losses
In terms of sales, i.e. the total number of books sold, eight of the regions analyzed saw growth. These included growth markets such as India (+27.1 percent) and Brazil (+10.0 percent), as well as Australia (+2.0 percent) and New Zealand (+8.4 percent). Otherwise, sales declined in many places, for example in Italy (-3.0 percent) and Wallonia, Belgium (-2.2 percent).
By contrast, the average price developed positively across the board, thus partially offsetting the decline in sales. Books became significantly more expensive in Spain, for example, where the price rose by +4.1 percent to EUR 16.04 per title sold. Mexico (280.58 Mexican pesos) and the Netherlands (16.21 euros) recorded growth rates of +4.0 percent each. Only in the New Zealand book market did prices fall, by -4.0 percent to currently 21.03 New Zealand dollars.
Crime, science fiction, and fantasy titles drive fiction sales
As in the previous year, the fiction segment performed comparatively well, achieving growing revenues in 14 of 19 regions. Crime writers such as Freida McFadden played an important role in this. Her “The Housemaid” series, for example, was the best-selling book in France, Spain, Wallonia, Belgium, and French-speaking Switzerland in the first eight months of 2025. In France, the US thriller specialist even occupied the entire top 5. Science fiction and fantasy books, as well as romantic fantasy titles such as Rebecca Yarros' “Empyrean” series and Sarah J. Maas' “A Court of Thorns and Roses” series, also continue to enjoy great popularity. In numerous countries, the TikTok community BookTok has made these and many other authors and titles bestsellers.
“The Let Them Theory” and the Pope biography were nonfiction bestsellers
Nonfiction and self-help books have seen an increase in sales in eight of the 19 countries surveyed so far in 2025. Among the most successful works were James Clear's “The 1% Method,” published in 2018, and Mel Robbins' “The Let Them Theory.” This guide to letting go in an increasingly overstimulated world became the best-selling book in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and South Africa. Biographies such as “Hoffe” by the late Pope Francis and “A Different Kind of Power” by former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern were also well received.
“The Hunger Games L” sweeps the children's and young adult book segment
The best-selling children's and young adult book of the year so far is “The Hunger Games L - Daybreak” by Suzanne Collins. The second prequel to the famous trilogy of novels was the most popular title in this segment in Australia, France, Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand, and French-speaking Switzerland. A total of ten countries saw an increase in sales of children's and young adult books.