According to the Swedish Publishers Association's 2025 book sales statistics, Sweden's book market experienced a significant trend reversal last year. For the first time in twelve years, printed books grew more than digital books in 2025. The printed book accounted for 67.6% of the total book market revenue, representing an increase of 0.5 percentage points from the previous year.
Mikaela Zabrodsky, CEO of the Swedish Publishers Association (Svenska Förläggareföreningen), described the development as "a trend break." According to the statistics, 24.6 million printed books were sold in Sweden during 2025, marking a 5.7% increase. The growth in physical book sales occurred across all channels, with physical bookstores showing the strongest performance.
a trend break
The statistics indicate that printed children's and youth books were positively affected by government subsidies for school book purchases, though this was reportedly not the sole explanation for the physical book's resurgence. The data suggests a notable shift in consumer behavior after more than a decade of digital dominance in the book market's growth patterns.