Overview

• The German book market posted a 1.8% revenue increase to €9.88 billion in 2024 despite a 2% decline in book buyers.
• Sales last year were powered by 16–29-year-olds and surging digital formats, with audiobooks up 7.3% and online trade up 4.4%.
• Core distribution channels recorded a 3.3% revenue drop in the first half of 2025, spurring cautious hopes for an autumn recovery.
• Industry data shows 50–100 physical bookstores close annually versus just 30–40 openings, while one in four children still lacks basic reading skills.
• Leaders call for enhanced literacy programs, structural funding models and generative AI regulation to stabilize the market.