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Global Social Science & Humanities Publishing 2025-2029

Publisher Simba Information – Reports
Published Nov 03, 2025
Length 138 Pages
SKU # CURP20514353

Description

Demand for Social Science & Humanities (SSH) publishing content is projected toincrease roughly 1% per year to reach about $5.5 billion in 2028. This modestexpansion reflects the sector’s steady recovery from pandemic-era disruptions, thegradual digital migration of books and journals, and continued institutional supportthrough libraries, university presses, and consortia. SSH remains structurally distinctfrom STM publishing, with a higher share of revenue from books and reference contentand slower—but stable—adoption of open access (OA) and hybrid models.

This report analyzes the global SSH publishing market by product, format, market, andregion, using Simba Information’s proprietary data model and verified publisherdisclosures. Demand is presented in U.S. dollars and reflects both institutional andcommercial revenue streams.

Sales by Product are presented for:
  • Books and Monographs
  • Journals
  • Reference Works and Databases
  • Primary Sources and Digital Archives
These categories encompass both print and digital formats and capture backlist andfrontlist revenue across global and regional publishers.

Sales by Format are presented for:
  • Print
  • Digital / Online Platforms
  • Hybrid and OA-Enabled Delivery
Format data incorporate revenue migration trends verified through publisher financialstatements and library procurement datasets for 2022–2024, with forecasts to 2029.

Sales by Market are presented for:
  • Academic Institutions and Libraries
  • Research Organizations and Consortia
  • Professional Associations and Cultural Institutions
  • Aggregators, Platforms, and Distribution Channels
These market segments represent the primary demand sources for SSH contentglobally and are validated against institutional budget and procurement data analyzedwithin the report.

Sales are presented for the following regions:
  • North America
  • Central and South America
  • Western Europe
  • Eastern Europe
  • Asia/Pacific
  • Africa/Mideast
Regional analysis is aligned with Simba Information’s standardized global publishingframework and incorporates historical baselines and projected performance for2025–2029 based

Table of Contents

138 Pages
METHODOLOGY
DEFINITION OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES PUBLISHING
Social Sciences
Humanities
DEFINITIONS OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES PUBLISHING BY MEDIA
Books
Journals
Online Content
Abstracting & Indexing Services
Other Activities
Elimination
SCOPE OF THE REPORT
DEFINITIONS BY GEOGRAPHY
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
METHODOLOGY FOR ESTIMATES AND FORECASTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
KEY FINDINGS
1: MARKET LANDSCAPE
INTRODUCTION
MARKET SIZE
PRODUCT SEGMENTS
Figure 1-1. Social Sciences and Humanities Publishing by Product Format, 2024 (% of revenue)
Books
Developments in Books
Table 1-1. Leading OA Book Publishers, Ranked by Number of Titles, 2025
Journals
Table 1-2. Cost History of Titles in Scopus by Subject Area
Online Content
Abstracting & Indexing
Other
Elimination
Global Social Science & Humanities Publishing 2025-2029
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Table 1-3. Social Sciences and Humanities Publishing, 2022 – 2024 ($ millions)
GEOGRAPHY
Languages
SSH Publishing by Region
Figure 1-2. SSH Publishing Share by Region, 2024
FX IMPACTS
Table 1-4. Yearly Average Exchange Rates for Converting Foreign Currency into US Dollars, 2021 – 2024
CHAPTER 2: MARKET TRENDS
INTRODUCTION
THE GLOBAL RESEARCH LANDSCAPE
Figure 2-1. Gross Domestic Spending on R&D, 2024 (US 2023$ billion)
SSH RESEARCH OUTPUT
Table 2-1. Leading Producers of Research Articles in SSH Subjects, 2024
TRENDING AT ACADEMIC LIBRARIES
THE PIPELINE OF SSH SCHOLARS
Associate’s Degrees
Bachelor’s Degrees
SSH Fields of Study
Changing Education Priorities
Master’s Degrees
Doctor’s Degrees
Research Doctorates
Figure 2-2. Number of Research Doctorates by Selected Fields of Study, 2003 – 2023
Current Students: Major Fields of Study
Table 2-2. National Undergraduate 4-Year Enrollment in Major Fields and SSH Areas May 2025
CHAPTER 3: LEADING COMPETITORS
INTRODUCTION
LEADING SSH PUBLISHERS
Table 3-1. Leading Social Sciences and Humanities Publishers, 2023 – 2024 ($ millions)
TAYLOR & FRANCIS
Company Background
Business Segments
Taylor & Francis
Portfolio of Brands
SSH Content
Books
Journals
Figure 3-1. Taylor & Francis: Number of SSH Journals by Major Subject Areas, 2025
Global Social Science & Humanities Publishing 2025-2029
October 2025 © Simba Information iii
Table 3-2. Taylor & Francis: SSH Publishing by Subject Area and Form, 2025
Recent Company Performance
SSH Revenue
Publishing Strategy
GAP II
One Informa
Leadership Changes
Product Development
Read-and-Publish Agreements
ELSEVIER
Company Background
Business Segments
Elsevier
Figure 3-2. Example of SciVal Analysis of Research Topics
Primary Research
Figure 3-3. ScienceDirect Platform: Content by Major Subject Area
Figure 3-4. ScienceDirect Platform: SSH Content by Subject Area, Numbers of Journals and Books
Print
Elsevier.com
Recent Company Performance
SSH Revenue
Publishing Strategy
Product Development
Scopus AI
ScienceDirect AI
Journals
SAGE
Company Overview
Business Segments
Journals
Books
Learning Resources
Recent Company Performance
SSH Revenue
Publishing Strategy
Image Makeover
New Leadership Role
Strategic Priorities
Product Development
CLARIVATE
Company Background
Business Segments
Global Social Science & Humanities Publishing 2025-2029
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Academia & Government
Scientific and Academic Research
Recent Company Performance
SSH Revenue
Publishing Strategy
Product Development
Acceleration of AI Development
Academia & Government
Academic AI Platform
Figure 3-5. Clarivate Academic AI Platform
Agentic AI
New Subscription-Based Strategy for Academia
EBSCO INFORMATION SERVICES
Company Background
Business Segments
Information Services Division
Background
Databases
E-Books
Journals
EBSCOhost
Discovery
FOLIO
Company Performance
SSH Revenue
Publishing Strategy
Product Development
AI Development
New AI-Powered Features
Business Model for Books
SPRINGER NATURE
Company Background
Business Segments
Research
Journals
Books
Services
Division Metrics
Recent Company Performance
SSH Revenue
Publishing Strategy
Product Development
Global Social Science & Humanities Publishing 2025-2029
October 2025 © Simba Information v
New Products
WILEY
Company Overview
Business Segments
Research
Research Publishing
Research Solutions
Learning
Academic
Professional
Wiley Online Library
Recent Company Performance
Segment Performance
SSH Revenue
Publishing Strategy
Segment Growth Strategies
Wiley Focus
Product Development
Research Exchange Platform
Papermill Detection Service
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
Company Overview
Business Segments
Academic Segment
Journals
Books
Recent Company Performance
SSH Revenue
Publishing Strategy
Product Development
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
Overview
Organization
SSH Content
Recent Performance
SSH Revenue
Publishing Strategy
APA Style Manual
CENGAGE GROUP
Company Overview
Business Segments
Global Social Science & Humanities Publishing 2025-2029
vi October 2025 © Simba Information
Research
Recent Company Performance
SSH Revenue
Publishing Strategy
Product Development
Digital Scholar Lab
Figure 3-6 Gale Digital Scholar Lab, Example of Sentiment Analysis Tool
Humanities Education
Gale Literature Resource Center
OTHER LEADING SSH PUBLISHERS
Mid-Size SSH Publishers
Bloomsbury
De Gruyter Brill
Peter Lang
University Presses
Art Publishers
Online Content
Redalyc
Latindex
SciELO
CHAPTER 4: MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
OVERVIEW
Table 4-1. Mergers, Acquisitions, Partnerships: SSH Publishing, 2023
Table 4-2. Mergers, Acquisitions, Partnerships: SSH Publishing, 2024
Table 4-3. Mergers, Acquisitions, Partnerships: SSH Publishing, 2025
CHAPTER 5: GLOBAL FORECAST
INTRODUCTION
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
Near-Term Scenario
2025 OUTLOOK: MARKET LEADERS
Table 5-1. Leading Social Sciences and Humanities Publishers, 2024 – 2025 ($ millions)
GLOBAL FORECAST
Table 5-2. Forecast of Real GDP Growth, 2025 – 2029 (% growth)
Long-term Outlook
Table 5-3. Forecast of Real GDP Growth by Country, 2025 – 2029 (% growth)
Inflation
Table 5-4. Consumer Price Inflation Forecast, 2025 – 2029 (% growth)
PRODUCT FORECAST
Table 5-5. Social Sciences and Humanities Publishing Forecast, 2025 – 2029 ($ million)

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