UK publishing revenue exceeds £7 billion for first time

NewsPress Release
07 May 2024

In 2023, total revenue for UK publishing was £ 7.1 billion, this was a 3% increase from 2022 and the highest level ever for the industry.   

Both export and digital were key areas of growth for the sector as a whole in 2023. With both fiction and non-fiction rising in consumer publishing as well as double-digital grown in audio downloads. 

Key figures include:  

  • Export market revenue was £4.4 billion, up 4% 
  • Digital revenue was £3.2 billion, up 5% 
  • Total consumer publishing revenue was £2.4 billion, up 4% 
  • Fiction revenue was £907 million, up 8% 

Dan Conway, CEO of the Publishers Association, said: 

“A great result for the UK’s publishing industry – we’ve now crossed the £7 billion mark in terms of revenue. These strong figures reflect the continuing economic value of publishing to the UK. It’s wonderful to see growth in many areas, including export which serves as a reminder of the influence of the UK’s publishing sector internationally. The enduring popularity of books and learning means that the sector is still performing strongly in spite of the broader economic headwinds.” 

How did consumer publishing perform in 2023?  

  • Total consumer publishing revenue was £2.4 billion (a rise of 4%) 
  • UK market revenue was £1.5 billion (a rise of 2%)  
  • Export market revenue was £918 million (a rise of 8%) 
  • Fiction revenue was £907 million (a rise of 8%) 
  • Non-fiction revenue was £1.1 billion (a rise of 5%) 
  • Children’s revenue was £412 million (down 4%)  
  • Audio downloads revenue was £206 million (a rise of 24%) 
  • Print revenue was £1.9 billion (a rise of 2%) while digital revenue was £484 million (a rise of 13%) 

 How did education publishing perform in 2023? 

  • Total education publishing revenue was £661 million (remained same) 
  • UK market revenue was £192 million (down 12%) 
  • Export market revenue was £469 million (a rise of 7%) 
  • Print revenue was £566 million (remained same)  
  • Digital revenue was £95 million (remained same) 

 How did academic publishing perform in 2023? 

  • Total revenue academic £3.6 billion (a rise of 2%) 
  • UK market revenue was £933 million (down 2%) 
  • Export market revenue was £2.6 billion (a rise of 3%) 
  • Print revenue was £960 million (down 2%) 
  • Digital revenue was £2.6 billion (a rise of 4%) 

The Vision for Publishing report, released earlier this year found that the wider contribution of publishing to the UK economy is £11 billion including our supply chain. 

Find out more about how UK publishing performed last year by reading Publishing in 2023.