With Millennials and Generation Z leading the way, particularly among men, Bible reading among U.S. adults in 2025 is at its highest level in the last 15 years, according to new data from the “State of the Church” initiative.
The initiative by Barna Group and Gloo collected data from 12,116 online interviews conducted between January and October of 2025. The research revealed that approximately 50% of self-identified Christians report reading the Bible weekly, the highest level of Bible reading among Christians in more than a decade.
Weekly Bible reading among all U.S. adults reached its lowest point in 15 years in 2024 when it hit 30%. In 2025, the figure rebounded 12 percentage points to 42%, according to the latest data.
“Bible reading is rising again across generations, marking a reset to faith engagement levels we haven’t seen in a decade,” David Kinnaman, CEO of Barna Group, said in a statement. “People aren’t just curious about faith — they’re opening Scripture for themselves. This trend aligns with other signs of renewal we’ve seen in our research, like growing commitments to Jesus and increased church attendance.”
A breakdown of general Bible reading data among U.S. adults reveals a significant increase in weekly Bible reading among both Millennials and Gen Z over the past year.
Approximately 50% of Millennials reported reading the Bible weekly, representing a 16-point increase from the previous year. Bible reading among Gen Z increased by a staggering 19 points, from 30% a year ago to 49% in 2025. Gen X currently stands at 41%.
Only 31% of Boomers reported reading their Bible weekly, despite traditionally being the group of U.S. adults with the highest level of Bible reading.
While women have traditionally been more likely to read the Bible weekly, the latest data show that younger men are leading younger women in this practice. Weekly Bible reading rates were 54% for Gen Z men and 57% for Millennial men, compared to 46% for Gen Z women and 43% for Millennial women.
This finding isn’t surprising considering recent Barna Research showing that nearly 40% of young adult Gen Z women now identify as religiously unaffiliated.
The data suggests that Gen Z women are grappling with a profound disconnection from their parents and older adults in general, and some 38% of them currently identify as atheist, agnostic or say they have no faith at all. This is higher than the 32% of men in the same age group who said they are religiously unaffiliated. Young adult Gen Z women also reported the lowest rates of Bible reading, church attendance, and prayer among their peers.
Despite more Americans reporting regular Bible reading, fewer maintain that the Bible is 100% accurate.
Only 36% of Americans now hold that the Bible is 100% accurate. In 2000, this share was 43%. Just 44% of self-identified Christians strongly affirmed the accuracy of the Bible.
“It’s very encouraging to see more people, especially young adults, turning to the Bible,” Brad Hill, chief partner success officer at Gloo, said in a statement. “But this rise in interest also challenges church leaders to go deeper, turning curiosity and engagement into opportunities to help people live what they read. In an age when AI tools are providing answers to life’s big questions, it’s imperative that churches cultivate deep and durable Bible engagement habits.”
