Spotify is expanding its audiobooks offering to more than 180 markets by the end of 2026, with India set to get access to the service from November 12. The expansion will take Spotify’s audiobook offering from 22 markets to more than 180, giving listeners access to over 350,000 titles across catalogues covering more than 120 languages.

According to a Spotify press release yesterday, users in India will be able to access audiobooks through Audiobooks+, which offers a set number of listening hours each month, or purchase individual titles. Pricing and availability will vary depending on the market.

In India, Audiobooks+ will serve as the primary way for users to access audiobooks on Spotify. Listeners can add Audiobooks+ to their plan for additional listening hours each month, while those looking for a particular title can choose to purchase it individually and keep it. The offering is being introduced across markets in Africa, Asia and Argentina as part of Spotify’s broader audiobook expansion.

Owen Smith, VP of Audiobooks, Spotify, said books can change how people see the world and that audiobooks have become a way for many listeners to return to reading during everyday moments such as commuting, walking or winding down at the end of the day. He said bringing audiobooks to more than 180 markets would allow millions more people to discover the format while giving authors and publishers access to new audiences.

Alongside the global expansion, Spotify is also introducing updates to its Page Match feature, allowing listeners to move between physical books, e-books and audiobooks more easily. Since its launch in February, more than one million readers have used Page Match to switch between different formats of the same book.

The updated Page Match feature will now support page numbers. Users can scan the ISBN barcode of a book and use page numbers to find their place in the story, making it easier to continue reading or listening from where they left off. The feature currently works in more than 30 languages.

Spotify is also bringing Audiobooks+ to Student plans in select markets in November. Users on Student plans in Ireland, Belgium, Austria and Finland will be able to add Audiobooks+ for additional listening hours. The company plans to expand the feature to Student plans in more markets over the coming year.

Audiobooks+ allows Spotify Premium users to purchase additional audiobook listening time on top of their existing base plan. Members on Premium Family and Duo plans can also receive 15 hours of audiobook listening each month through a recurring add-on.

The audiobook add-on has already crossed more than one million subscribers since its launch just over a year ago and has generated more than $100 million in annual recurring revenue, according to Spotify.

Spotify said its audiobook business has also continued to grow since audiobooks were introduced to Premium three years ago. Monthly audiobook listeners have increased by nearly 40 per cent over the past year, while listening hours have grown by more than 30 per cent.

With the expansion to more than 180 markets, Spotify is looking to make its audiobook catalogue accessible to a much wider global audience while giving listeners more flexibility to discover, purchase and switch between different ways of experiencing books.