The first Ukrainian publisher to reach billion-level revenue in the past 25 years

17.03.2025

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Forbes Ukraine has released a ranking of publishing houses with the best financial performance in 2024.

The top five publishers by revenue in 2024 are:

Family Leisure Club Publishing (KSD)
Ranok Publishing
Folio Publishing
Vivat Publishing
The Old Lion Publishing House

KSD’s revenue grew by over 87% compared to 2023, rising from 14.3 million USD (593.1 million UAH) to more than 26.8 million USD (1.109 billion UAH). It is the only publisher on the list to have achieved billion-level revenue over the past 25 years.

Ranok retained second place and increased its revenue by nearly 27%, from 14.3 million USD (592.3 million UAH) to 18.1 million USD (750.9 million UAH).

There was a shift in the third position. In 2023, the spot was held by the limited liability company “Pobutelektrotekhnika,” also known as BalkaBook. This year, Folio moved up from seventh place in 2023 to claim the third spot, increasing its revenue by over 50%—from 5.1 million USD (213 million UAH) to 7.9 million USD (325.9 million UAH).

The biggest revenue increase compared to 2023 was recorded by RM Publishing, with an impressive 132.31% growth, allowing it to enter the top 10 publishers of 2024.

Vivat and the Old Lion Publishing House also climbed the rankings. Last year, according to the Ukrainian Book Institute (UBI), they ranked 10th and 9th, respectively. Compared to 2019, their revenues increased by 46.38% and 25.4%.

Among the top 10 publishers, one saw a decline in revenue. A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA generated over 5 million USD (209 million UAH) in 2023, but this figure dropped by 3.5% in 2024.

The full ranking and comments from the directors of the leading publishing houses can be found on the Forbes website.

In July 2024, the UBI also published a list of publishers with the best financial performance from 2021 to 2024. However, the institution noted that the increase in profits was likely driven primarily by rising book prices.

Copy editing: Ben Angel