According to a survey held in early 2025, 49.3 percent of children and young people read printed fiction books in their free time, down slightly from 2024. Whilst there remains a clear preference for printed books, digital engagement is generally stable, with 2023 marking the second time that the percentage of eight to 18-year-olds reading fiction on a screen rather than in paper form surpassed 25 percent. This figure dropped slightly in 2025 but remained above the 20 percent mark.
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National Literacy Trust. (June 9, 2025). Share of children and young people reading fiction books or short stories outside of school in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2017 to 2025, by format [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 07, 2026, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/299071/fiction-reading-by-young-people-in-the-uk/
National Literacy Trust. "Share of children and young people reading fiction books or short stories outside of school in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2017 to 2025, by format." Chart. June 9, 2025. Statista. Accessed May 07, 2026. https://www.statista.com/statistics/299071/fiction-reading-by-young-people-in-the-uk/
National Literacy Trust. (2025). Share of children and young people reading fiction books or short stories outside of school in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2017 to 2025, by format. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: May 07, 2026. https://www.statista.com/statistics/299071/fiction-reading-by-young-people-in-the-uk/
National Literacy Trust. "Share of Children and Young People Reading Fiction Books or Short Stories outside of School in The United Kingdom (Uk) from 2017 to 2025, by Format." Statista, Statista Inc., 9 Jun 2025, https://www.statista.com/statistics/299071/fiction-reading-by-young-people-in-the-uk/
National Literacy Trust, Share of children and young people reading fiction books or short stories outside of school in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2017 to 2025, by format Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/299071/fiction-reading-by-young-people-in-the-uk/ (last visited May 07, 2026)
Share of children and young people reading fiction books or short stories outside of school in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2017 to 2025, by format [Graph], National Literacy Trust, June 9, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/299071/fiction-reading-by-young-people-in-the-uk/
