32 Bible Sales Statistics [2023]

[JM]

KJV is still going strong.

32 Bible Sales Statistics [2023] – WordsRated

wordsrated.com

 

[friend of]

KJV is still going strong.

Win?

 

[JM]

Win?

Anyone who reads the Bible wins.

 

[JSRG]

KJV is still going strong.

View attachment 340064

32 Bible Sales Statistics [2023] – WordsRated

wordsrated.com

I'm a bit confused as to what the timeframe for this is supposed to be. It says "2023" at the top but the article is also stated to have been posted in 2022. I thought initially perhaps it was posted in 2023 and was updated, but when I pull up an archived version of it (which says 2022 at the top instead of 2023), the percentages are identical. So it looks like these are supposed to be the numbers for 2022. However, no source is cited for them, it simply says "In the US, when Bible readers were surveyed as to which version or translation of the Bible they purchased and read" but without information as to when or how this survey took place.

The reason I mention all of this is because the above numbers clash with numbers I've seen elsewhere. For example, this gives stats for the highest selling Bibles at the end of 2022 (note: The number in parentheses is the ranking number it was in June of 2021):

Bestselling Bible Translations at the End of 2022 | Church Answers

It is a fascinating exercise to see which Bible translations are preferred in the United States. I am comparing the 2022 end-of-year data with another summary I did in June 2021. In other words, the comparative rankings are 18 months apart.

churchanswers.com

1. New International Version (NIV) (1)
2. English Standard Version (ESV) (4)
3. New Living Translation (NLT) (3)
4. Christian Standard Bible (CSB) (6)
5. King James Version (KJV) (2)
6. New King James Version (NKJV) (5)
7. Reina Valera (RV) (7)
8. New International Reader’s Version (NIrV) (9)
9. New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) (not ranked)
10. New American Standard Bible (NASB) (not ranked)

This is considerably different than what your source claims. Your source puts the KJV at the top, and with twice as many as the second place NIV. But the link I looked at put the NIV in first! While obviously trends can vary based on time, your source puts the KJV so far ahead that the above rankings don't make much sense. Maybe the difference is that the above rankings come from the Evangelical Christian Publishers’ Association and thus maybe it's different for other publishers, or maybe the divergence comes from the ECPA selling Bibles that get sent to other countries, whereas the link you offered is very specifically only about what people in the US are buying (and for that matter buying individually, maybe individual purchasers are more likely to gravitate to the KJV but the groups that buy Bibles en masse--churches or missionary groups--prefer the NIV and other versions).

So I'm kind of curious about why these seem to go against each other so much.

 

[JM]

Is anyone surprised that the KJV is still top five? That's why I posted it.

I think this is important, "Percentage of Bible readers purchased..." Those who actually read their Bibles buy the KJV.

 

[JM]

"Among self-described Bible readers, 55 percent say they prefer the KJV, well ahead of the second-most-read-version—the New International Version at 19 percent." Majority of American Bible Readers Still Prefer King James Version - Lifeway Research.

Why the King James Bible of 1611 Remains the Most Popular Translation in History | HISTORY

Not only was it the first 'people's Bible,' but its poetic cadences and vivid imagery have had an enduring influence on Western culture.

www.history.com

10 Reasons Why The KJV Is Still The Most Popular Version | HeadHeartHand Blog

Why do so many Christians and churches use the KJV when there are so many alternatives and when it is laboring under the disadvantage of Elizabethan English?

headhearthand.org

 

[Shane R]

You just reminded me to order one for my Dad for Christmas. He's had some vision problems over the last year or so and needs the extra over-sized print that just isn't on the shelf at Barnes & Noble most of the time. He wants KJV or I could have just given him something out of my stockpile.

 

[JM]

You just reminded me to order one for my Dad for Christmas. He's had some vision problems over the last year or so and needs the extra over-sized print that just isn't on the shelf at Barnes & Noble most of the time. He wants KJV or I could have just given him something out of my stockpile.

The biggest Bible I have is the large print KJV Westminster from TBS.

My favorite due to font style (comfort print) Premier Edition by Thomas Nelson. The font is just so easy on the eyes.