Top 10 Countries That Read the Most Books

How much do you read on average? A lot since you’re a bibliophile reading this post. But have you ever wondered where your country stands globally in case of reading? If you haven’t, you’ll start wondering now as here, I’ve researched and brought out a list of the top 10 countries that read the most books for you.

Since I’m a regular reader and a literature student practically in love with books, I like to research such things a lot in my free time (if I get any from studying and reading, that is). While researching, I discovered many countries which even surprised me to be listed the top 10 list.

The country which reads the most books might be the US, as it is one of the highest contributors in the literary field. Or, one would say Finland, as it has such a high literacy rate. But, to everyone’s surprise, this isn’t the case as the Asian country is dominant for reading books. 

Excited, are we? So was I, while reading about all this. Keep reading further to know whether your country made it to the list.

Top 10 Countries Which Read the Most Books

10. Hong Kong

People of Hong Kong spend an average of 6 hours and 42 minutes per week, lagging behind Hungary and Saudi Arabia by 6 minutes.

From January to March, 1,876 people were telephone interviewed by the Hong Kong Publishing Professional Society about their reading preferences. According to the findings, five hundred eighty-nine people reported not having read a physical book in the previous year. Two hundred eighty-six respondents to the interview admitted they never read printed books.

Lack of time and a preference for online reading were the main justifications. The poll indicated that the 1,300 interviewees, or 70% of the population, who read printed books did so on average for three hours per week, two books per month, and five books per year.

9. Hungary and Saudi Arabia

People of Hungary spend an average of 6 hours and 48 minutes per week, lagging behind Sweden and France by mere 6 minutes. A quarter of Hungarian readers of books claimed to frequently read works of literature such as plays, poems, essays, and short tales. Another 28% of respondents said they never or hardly ever viewed such content.

Netizens of Saudi Arabia spend an average of 6 hours and 48 minutes, too, tying with Hungary in this. According to research by Saudi Aramco’s King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, 93 percent of Saudis devote over an hour each day to helping their children learn to read, while 88 percent of adults spend almost 81 minutes each day reading for pleasure.

8. Sweden and France

Residents of Sweden spend 6 hours and 54 minutes per week, lagging behind Russia by 12 minutes. In advance of the Literature Week on P1 (Sweden’s Radio), Novus researched book consumption for Kulturnytt.

According to the survey, almost one in four Swedes regularly read books. Women and those between the ages of 65 and 79 reply to the question of daily book reading to a greater extent than the typical population, with a third of respondents responding in the affirmative.

People of France are tied with Sweden on this one. Half of the French readers read daily or nearly daily. While 12% of readers in the poll said they only read on weekends or during vacations, the French who enjoy reading manage to fit it into their daily schedules.

7. Russia

People of Russia spend 7 hours and 6 minutes every week, lagging behind The Czech Republic by a big margin of 18 minutes per week.

As in other countries, reading habits have changed significantly and will likely continue to do so in Russia. According to surveys, reports, and newspaper stories, Russians no longer read. Teachers, publishers, and even politicians are in a panic because once renowned for its literature, Russia is no longer the country with the largest readership.

Russians now have internet nooks in place of bookcases. Social groups and cultural activities have lost their standing due to post-socialist developments. Levada Analytical Center’s most recent survey from 2008 indicates that 46% of Russians claim they don’t read books, and 54% say they don’t even read magazines.

6. The Czech Republic

The Czech Republic spends 7 hours and 24 minutes weekly, beating Egypt by 6 minutes per week.

78% of Czechs, down from 84% five years ago, read at least one book (printed or electronic) each year, according to Nielsen Atmosphere agency research. Additionally, 28% of Czechs visit libraries at least once a year, a 4-point decline from 2013. The average adult in the Czech Republic (over 15) reads 13 novels yearly (12.6 to be exact), or roughly one book each month.

The survey also demonstrates that while women read more frequently than males, there are no significant differences between age groups. The Czechs are still quite loyal to paper books; only 4% read electronic books regularly, and only 1% listen to audiobooks.

5. Egypt

This country reads for 5 minutes, or 7 hours and 30 minutes every week, or 390 minutes annually, beaten by The Philippines by 6 minutes per week.

To better understand people’s reading preferences in Egypt and East Africa, a study looked at 294 Egyptians (233 men and 61 women) enrolled in post-secondary programs in Cairo, Chopra El-Khema, and El-Giza. The findings showed that more married people than single people and more men than women read religious literature. Significant variations in reading habits were also noted between males and females and between white-collar and professional subjects.

The results of this survey were contrasted with those of a study on reading habits conducted on 59 adults in Senegal, West Africa. Comparative studies revealed that both Senegalese and Egyptian participants wanted to read more, loved reading, frequently read newspapers, enjoyed reading fiction, would like to enroll in a course to enhance their reading, and were able to retain the majority of what they had read.

4. The Philippines

Philippines residents read for 7 hours and 36 minutes per week. This equates to 395.2 hours annually.

Most members of the Filipino community enjoy reading historical, literary, and religious works. Most survey respondents, though, prefer to read electronic versions of books. The Bible was identified as a favorite book by three-fourths of respondents who said they had read at least one book in the previous three months.

The National Book Development Board (NBDB) recently announced the results of its readership study conducted in the Philippines. One encouraging finding was the high level of interest in children’s books.

With a reading rate of 72.7% among kids, picture and chapter books are the most popular. This indicates, according to NBDB, that parents are actively influencing their kids’ reading habits. According to the report, teachers are the most likely to encourage kids to read, followed by their parents.

3. China

China comes in third place with an eight-hour average. In a 2010 poll, 69 percent of participants said reading was crucial to personal growth. Respondents between the ages of 19 and 29 showed this pattern.

A little over 70% of individuals in China were discovered to read in 2009. While 58 percent read newspapers and 46 percent read magazines, 50% read books. 7% of people read internet text. Rural residents are slightly more likely to read in China than urban residents.

The daily average reading time is 15 minutes for books, 21 minutes for newspapers, and 16 minutes for magazines.

2. Thailand

Thailand ranks second on our list, with an average weekly time of 9 hours and 24 minutes.

Reading in Thailand has always involved decoding meanings from symbols resembling Chinese letters. Thai people can easily determine the meaning of a symbol based on the other symbols around it, much like we read English without thinking. This is because it is frequently simpler to represent words with symbols in Thai.

It was discovered in 2010 that the typical student reads for enjoyment for roughly 20 minutes each day. Journals and online articles are the two genres that Thai readers choose to read, with fiction coming in lower on the list.

1. India

The NOP World Culture Score Index puts India as the nation that enjoys reading the most when considering the amount of time spent doing so among the 30 major nations surveyed. India tops our list, with its residents reading an average of 10 hours and 42 minutes weekly.

Non-literary fiction is becoming more and more popular in India. The increase in TV, mobile phones, and the Internet is assumed to cause this. People want to read inexpensive, easily available content.

First-generation English readers are common in India. Urban children in India are more likely to read for pleasure because schools place a high value on fostering a love of reading in students. There are frequent book festivals, including the biggest in the world, the annual Jaipur Literature Festival, and educational institutions host reading-focused weeks.

Conclusion| What Country Reads the Most

So, here are the countries which read the most books. India tops the list while Hong Kong holds 10th place in the list, according to various sources and surveys. What are your thoughts on this? Did your country make it to the top 10 list?

Also, do check out some more articles:

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• Have a Look at These Must Read list About South African history
• Best Existential Fiction Books

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Which Country Reads Most ebooks?

Unsurprisingly, US leads this list. People in The United States started using ebooks even before the time of kindle’s invention.

2. Which Country Reads The Least?

Since Africa’s literacy rate remains the lowest, there is no surprise that we will find some of the countries from that part of the world. Niger, Guinea, Sudan are some of the countries in our list that reads very less.