Partners from across the books sector in the UK have come together to pledge their support for a National Year of Reading in 2026.
Supported by the UK’s Department of Health and the National Literacy Trust, the year-long campaign will seek to “inspire thousands of community reading champions, welcome millions of new library members, and help businesses champion reading in their workplaces and communities.”
The announcement comes off the back of concerning statistics charting the decline in recreational reading in the UK – with this decline particularly concerning amongst children and young people.
Recent research from the National Literacy Trust showed that just 1 in 3 (32.7%) children and young people aged 8 to 18 said that they enjoyed reading in their free time in 2025 – a 36% decrease since the Trust started charting this in 2005.
This attitude was mirrored in parents, with new research from HarperCollins UK showing that just 43% of under-fours are read to on a regular basis, and only 40% of parents saying they enjoyed reading to children.
“In a fast-moving, AI-powered world, the campaign will reimagine what reading means, making it modern, meaningful, and relevant,” the National Year of Reading announcement states.
The UK campaign brings together a range of partner organisations, from publishers and Government departments to literacy charities, with more likely to join as preparations for 2026 develop.
In 2012, Australia hosted its own National Year of Reading, managed and directed by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), who are a founding partner of Australia Reads. The campaign saw the delivery of more than 4,000 programs and events nationwide to over 200,000 people in diverse communities and through multiple media platforms facilitated through libraries.
Australia Reads supports this united action from the UK Government, industry and charity sector to see large-scale engagement with reading, and looks forward to seeing the full program of events roll out in 2026.