Library membership tops 3.8 million as more adults sign up

More than 3.8 million people were members of public libraries in the Netherlands in 2025, a 3% increase over the year before according to new numbers by national statistics office CBS.

The number of adult library members rose by 46,000 to nearly 1.4 million.

In particular, an increasing number of younger adults, those between the ages of 18 and 30, are joining libraries.

In total, 9% of adults are library members. That statistic is dwarfed by the number of children who are library members. Nearly two-thirds of kids, 74%, are members of a library.

The number of children joining a library has also increased in 2025. Last year saw a rise of 2.4%, or over 57,000 more kids with a library card.

The Netherlands had 802 library locations in 2025, an increase of 35 on the year before. This is due to an increase in funding from the national government, according to CBS.

The number of physical books checked out by patrons has remained stable but the number of e-book loans rose. Nearly 6 million e-books were borrowed via the online library, 3% more than in 2024, and audiobook loans rose 11% to 2.9 million.