According to figures announced by the Portuguese Association of Publishers and Booksellers (APEL), between January and March of this year, 3.205 million books were sold, exceeding the figures for the same period last year by 2.6%.

The sales translated into a financial inflow of €46.839 million, 3.5% more than in the first quarter of 2025, according to data provided to APEL by Gfk, an independent entity that audits and counts book sales throughout the year.

The increase in units sold was accompanied by a 0.9% increase in the average book price to €14.61, compared with the first quarter of 2025.

Regarding points of sale, 70% of books in this first quarter were sold by bookstores, while 30% were sold by hypermarkets; however, bookstores accounted for 78.8% of the sales value.

Most sought-after category

By category, the most sought-after genre was children's and young adult literature, accounting for 36.7% of the market in terms of number of books sold, at an average price of €11.59 per unit, representing 29.1% of the total sales value.

In second place is fiction, with 33% of the units sold at an average price of €16.81, representing a 'slice' of 38% of the revenue.

Nonfiction book sales accounted for 26.6% of units sold, at an average price of €17.49, representing 31.9% of the market value.

Less sought-after categories

The least representative genre – campaigns and exclusives – accounted for 3.7% of units sold and 1.1% of the final value, with an average price of around €4.25.

Portuguese book market

In the first quarter of 2025, the Portuguese book market recorded sales of 3.123 million books, totalling €45.224 million.

In the final balance of last year, book sales in Portugal grew by 6.9% compared to the previous year, totalling almost 15 million books sold and generating revenue of €217.5 million, 7.6% above the 2024 value.