Well, on average, a fiction novel may have anywhere from 12 to 25 chapters. But this really depends on various factors. For example, a mystery novel might have more chapters to build suspense gradually. A romance novel could have fewer, more focused chapters to develop the relationship between the characters.
There's no one - size - fits - all answer to how many chapters are in an average fiction novel. Novels can range widely in length and structure. Some novels are written in a more episodic style and might have a large number of shorter chapters, perhaps 30 or more. Others might be more continuous and have a smaller number of longer chapters, like 8 - 15. Additionally, different genres tend to have different chapter norms. For instance, young adult fiction might often have around 20 - 30 chapters to keep the pacing suitable for younger readers.
The average number of chapters in a fiction novel can vary greatly. It could be around 10 - 30 chapters. However, some short fiction novels might have as few as 5 chapters, while very long and complex ones could have over 50 chapters.