Ukrainian 18-year-olds bought nearly 64,000 books through the state eBook program in 2026. What did they choose?

The program, aimed at helping Ukrainians turning 18 purchase printed books, e-books, and audiobooks in Ukrainian from participating bookstores and publishers, averaged about 700 book purchases per day in the first quarter of 2026.

According to the Ukrainian Book Institute, since Jan. 1, 2026, the amount of support has been 998.4 UAH, or around $23, which must be used within three months. In the first three months of 2026, almost 34,000 18-year-old participants submitted applications through eBook (YeKnyha) program. Funds have  already been transferred to 33,515 recipients, who bought 63,931 books from 284 publishers. In total, the purchases covered 11,950 titles.

The most popular book among eBook participants in the first quarter was “Haunting Adeline” by H. D. Carlton, the first book in the Cat and Mouse Duet series. Carlton overtook Colleen Hoover, who led the ranking in 2025. Program participants tended to choose fiction, with nonfiction ranking second.

Among Ukrainian authors, the most purchased writer was Volodymyr Stanchyshyn, with 756 copies sold through the program in the first quarter of 2026. Stanchyshyn is a Ukrainian psychologist, psychotherapist, and author of popular psychology books, among them “Walls in My Head”. He was followed by Illarion Pavliuk, with 473 copies of his literary works, including the psychological thriller “I See You Are Interested in Darkness”. The novel remained among Ukraine’s top-selling books for three years, from 2023 to 2025. Andrii Semyankiv placed third, with 219 copies sold, led by his medical thriller “Dancing with Bones”, winner of the BBC Book of the Year 2022 award.

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The eBook program was launched in December 2024. The first payments and book purchases took place in January 2025. Since the start of the program, 18-year-old Ukrainians have received 256.6 million UAH, or about $5.9 million, to buy books. 

Overall, Ukraine’s book market received 216.2 million UAH, or about $4.9 million, in 2026, within the framework of several state support programs, including National Cashback, Winter YeSupport, School Starter Kit and eBook. Of this amount, 19 million UAH, or about $433,000, came through eBook.

In 2025, 18-year-old participants in the eBook program bought 434,808 books and spent almost 140 million UAH, or about $3.2 million.

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Main image: UBI 

Copyediting: Joy Tataryn