Just shy of half of Americans have read at least 50% of the Bible, but only a quarter qualify as “active” Scripture readers, according to just-released data.
The American Bible Society surveyed 2,649 U.S. adults from Jan. 8-27 and found 48% of Americans said they have read half the Bible or more, including 17% who said they’ve read the entire Bible. Another 17% said they’ve read most of the Bible and 14% said they’ve read about half the Scriptures.
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Thirty-five percent of respondents said they have read “a little” of the Bible, while 7% admitted they are “not sure” how much of Scripture they have read.
The new data suggests the 2025 spike in Bible reading has subsided.
“Last year, we saw an uptick in Bible reading in the United States, Bible sales increased, [and] we heard discussions about revival,” John Farquhar Plake, editor-in-chief of the State of the Bible series for the American Bible Society, said in a statement. “But this year, Bible use and Scripture engagement have generally returned to 2024 levels.”
It should be noted the ABS describes “active Bible users” as those who “use Scripture at least once per week,” outside of church services, while classifying “occasional Bible users” as those who read the Bible three to four times a year.
A plurality of Americans (42%) never use the Bible, with 13% using it less than once a year and another 7% said they read Scripture once or twice per year.
U.S. adults curious about the Bible — those often considered to be part of the “movable middle” — make up about 28% of the population, an uptick of about 9 million since 2024.
“Though Scripture engagement has come back down, the number of Americans who are interested in and open to the Bible has swelled by 9 million people over the last two years,” Plake said. “Bible Curious Americans tell us that they would welcome someone to guide them through the complexity of the Bible.”
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