More people are joining libraries, especially adults

In 2025, more people are members of public libraries than in 2024. There are now more than 3.8 million members. That is 3 percent more than last year.

Adults in particular have joined in greater numbers. There are now nearly 1.4 million adult members. That is 46,000 more than last year.

Many new members are between 18 and 30 years old. More and more libraries are giving people free or discounted membership for several years after their 18th birthday. In some cases, older people can also become members for free or at a reduced cost.

Just over 9 percent of adults in the Netherlands are now members of a library. The figure is much higher among young people under 18: 74 percent are members. That amounts to 2.4 million young people, slightly more than last year.

The number of borrowed print books has remained roughly unchanged. In 2025, 51.6 million print books were borrowed, just as in 2024. Fewer books were borrowed by adults, while young people borrowed slightly more.

For children's fiction books, the increase was nearly 4 percent. Children's nonfiction books are slightly less popular. More and more people are borrowing e-books and audiobooks.

In 2025, nearly 6 million e-books were borrowed, 3 percent more than last year. A total of 2.9 million audiobooks were borrowed. That is 11 percent more than last year.

Nevertheless, print books remain the most popular: 85 percent of all borrowed books are print books. There are also more libraries now. In 2025, there were 802 library branches, 35 more than last year.

This is because the national government provided additional funding. Municipalities are using this money to open new libraries or renovate existing ones. On average, people cycle 2 kilometers to a library, just as they did last year.

In some places, the distance has become shorter because new libraries have opened, such as in Lopik and Zundert. People in Katwijk and Ouder-Amstel live closest to a library, at less than 1 kilometer away. The distance is greatest on the islands of Vlieland and Schiermonnikoog.

There are no regular libraries there, but there are service points where people can borrow books.