According to the Portuguese Association of Publishers and Booksellers (APEL), between January and December 2025, 14.8 million books were sold, 6.9% more than in 2024, when 13.9 million were sold.

These sales totalled €217.5 million, an increase of 7.6% compared to the previous year, when financial income was €203.7 million. However, market value growth in 2024 was 8.8% (compared to 2023).

The data compiled by Gfk, an independent entity that audits and counts book sales throughout the year, “reflects a positive evolution compared to 2024, but one that should be viewed with caution and moderate optimism,” because "a significant part of this evolution is associated with the exceptional performance of a specific category: mandala and children’s colouring books," APEL revealed in a statement.

“This was a trend throughout 2025, with a strong impact on sales, but it does not necessarily correspond to a structural increase in reading or the attraction of new readers,” the association emphasises.

APEL president Miguel Pauseiro, quoted in the statement, warns that it is “essential not to confuse cyclical growth with structural growth,” because this increase “does not automatically translate into an increase in reading or literacy.”

This is demonstrated by the data on units sold by genre: the most sought-after and the only genre with significant sales growth was children’s/young adult, rising from 34.5% in 2024 to 36.3% in 2025.

In second place is fiction, which remains virtually unchanged in terms of sales, with a 33.6% market share, compared to 33.3% in 2024.

Finally, non-fiction books account for 26.8% of units sold, down from 2024, when this genre accounted for 29.2%.

As for the average price of books in 2025, it increased by 0.6% to 14.66 euros, up from 14.59 euros in 2024, following a 2.7% increase.

APEL points out that this figure is “clearly below the estimated inflation rate for the period, which was around 2.3%, leading to the conclusion that publishers continue to absorb a significant part of the increase in production, logistics and raw material costs” in an “effort” to ensure “that price does not become a barrier to access to reading and knowledge”.

GfK data also indicates that market growth occurred in a context of stability across the main sales channels, with bookshops and other specialised outlets accounting for 69.8% of total books, representing around 78.5% of the total market value, with the remainder sold in hypermarkets.

In 2025, almost 15,000 new titles were sold.

“The positive evolution of the indicators should be viewed with responsibility and a long-term vision. The real challenge is to transform these signs of growth into a consistent reinforcement of reading habits, especially among children and young people, ensuring that books continue to occupy a central place in the cultural, educational and social development of the country,” said Miguel Pauseiro.

In this regard, APEL advocates the continuity of public policies that promote access to books, support the bookshop network, strengthen libraries and value publishing, so that “market growth effectively translates into a sustained increase in literacy”.