Nearly one in 10 EU residents who had used the internet in the previous three months bought an e-book or audiobook online in 2025, up from just over one in 14 in 2024.
The share of people making these purchases in the three months before the EU’s annual survey on internet use rose to 9.5% in 2025 from 7.3% a year earlier, Eurostat reported on Thursday.
Ireland recorded the highest proportion of residents buying e-books and audiobooks at 24.5%, followed by Denmark at 22.5% and Croatia at 21.0%.
Hungary, Italy, Slovenia and Latvia had the lowest shares, each below 5%.
Biggest rise in Croatia
Croatia recorded the largest year-on-year increase, up 16 percentage points compared with 2024, Eurostat said.
Greece rose by 7.2 percentage points, while Germany increased by 3.7 percentage points and Cyprus by 4.0 percentage points.
Finland recorded the biggest fall, down 4.8 percentage points, while Portugal fell by 1.6 percentage points and Malta by 0.1 percentage points.
The figures were published to coincide with World Book and Copyright Day, which is marked on 23 April.
