Nordic literature has been gaining popularity around the world for much of the past century, with translations from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the Faroe Islands—countries with relatively modest-sized populations—becoming global phenomena.

Much of the credit is given to the late Swedish crime writer Steig Larsson, whose Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, was among the first blockbuster novels to take off in the U.S., creating what many have described as the "Nordic Noir boom." But Larsson was no isolated incident. Other major Nordic authors include Norway's Jo Nesbo and husband-and-wife writing duo Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril, who publish under the name Lars Kepler and whose 10 novels have sold more than 18 million copies (and are now being adapted by Apple into a television series).

Today, readers around the world are embracing a wide variety of books from the region. These range from children's books, such as the middle grade space adventure series Kepler62 by writer Bjørn Sortland and Timo Parvela, illustrated by Pasi Pitkänen, and translated by Owen Witesman; to lengthy award-winning series of literary autofiction by authors such as Karl Ove Knausgård and Solvej Balle; to historical novels, like Beasts of the Sea by Ida Turpeinen, which garnered a starred review from PW and was picked up by The Late Show host Steven Colbert for his book club in December.

"It was our most popular book around the world last year and has sold in 30 territories," Tiia Strandén, director of the Finnish Literary Exchange, or FILI, told PW. FILI is the organization that promotes the sales of Finnish book rights, representing the country's literary community at book fairs.

In December, FILI, along with five other Nordic literary export organizations—the Danish Arts Foundation, FarLit, which represents the Faroe Islands, Icelandic Literature Center, Norwegian Literature Abroad, and the Swedish Arts Council/Swedish Literature Exchange — released their first comprehensive survey looking at translation rights sales for books and quantifying the overall revenue from the region for a single year, 2024.

The result was that, in aggregate, Nordic literature generated €78.5 million ($84.8 million) in translation rights revenue in 2024. In all, agencies and publishers signed approximately 4,250 translation contracts on behalf of Nordic authors during the year, with fiction accounting for 78% of total revenue. Individual contracts can cover translation rights for multiple titles.

Sweden dominated the rights sales, generating €55.6 million ($60.0 million) in revenue from 2,027 contracts—representing more than 70% of the region's total rights sales. Norway followed with €11.9 million ($12.9 million) from 979 contracts. Denmark took in €5.8 million ($6.3 million) from 417 contracts, while Finland recorded €3.3 million ($3.6 million) from 588 contracts. The two smallest sums were from the region's least populated islands: Iceland produced €1.9 million ($2.1 million) from 218 contracts, and the Faroe Islands reported €25,100 ($27,100) from 24 contracts.

Fiction drove the majority of Nordic rights sales at €61.2 million ($66.1 million), followed by children's and young adult literature at €11 million ($11.9 million). Nonfiction generated €5.5 million ($5.9 million), while comics and graphic novels accounted for €788,000 ($851,000).

Genre distribution varied significantly by country. Iceland's exports were 98.9% fiction, while Finland showed the most balanced portfolio with children's and YA literature representing 45.5% of revenue compared to 38.8% for adult fiction.

The survey collected data between May and August 2025 from 43 agencies and publishing houses representing Nordic authors. The survey quantified reported gross revenue from translation rights sales, including both advances and royalties, covering both the share given to a literary agency and the author. The figures include all income sources related to rights sales, such as covers, illustrations, layout, and associated fees, but exclude income from film and television rights.

Strandén noted that the organizations, which often work collectively at international book fairs, were "delighted" to finally have comprehensive data quantifying the region's translation rights performance.

The figures suggest that Nordic countries significantly overachieve in literary exports relative to their small populations, which total 28 million people in all—a factor that typically limits the pool of translators capable of working with these languages and would suggest more modest international reach. Despite these constraints, Nordic literature has found strong markets abroad, with Germany consistently ranking as the largest buyer of translation rights, followed by other Nordic countries and English-language markets.