According to the results of a survey held in the United States, the share of Americans who had read more than ** books in the last three months stood at **** percent in February 2024. However, **** percent had not any read any books in the three months running up to the survey.

During a survey held in early 2021, it was found that 83 percent of adults aged between 18 and 29 years old had read a book in any format in the previous year, up by two percent from the share who said the same in 2019. The survey results showed that adults within this age category were more likely than older respondents to have read a book within the last twelve months.

Book readers in the U.S.

While it is mostly believed that book reading is a vanishing pastime, particularly among Millennials, surveys among consumers in the U.S. have shown the opposite. The share of book readers in the U.S. has varied from 72 percent to 79 percent between 2011 and 2016.

In regards to age of book readers in the country, a 2016 survey shows about 80 percent of respondents between the ages of 18 to 29 had read at least one book in the previous 12 months, the highest share amongst all age groups. About 73 percent of the respondents aged between 30 to 49 years old said they read at least one book in the last 12 months. The share among respondents between 50 and 64 years old stood at 70 percent, whereas 67 percent of respondents aged 65 plus stated reading book during the time measured. In terms of education level, book readers in the U.S. are more likely to have a college degree, or at least some college education – 86 percent and 81 percent respectively. Women in the U.S. read slightly more than men; 68 percent of male respondents started reading at least one book in the previous 12 months, against 77 percent of female respondents that said the same.

Despite the rise of digital platforms and the rising popularity of e-reading devices such as Kindle, Kobo and others, printed books still remain the most popular book format in the U.S., as 65 percent of Americans stated preference for printed books in 2016. E-books were consumed by 28 percent of respondents in 2016, whereas audio books were listened by 14 percent of the respondents. Millennials accounted for the largest share of printed book readers in the U.S. – 72 percent as of 2016.

German teenage book reading frequency depends on age groups. ** percent of 12- to 13-year-olds read daily or several times a week, according to a recent survey. It appears that teenagers in that age group read the most often. The share of teenagers, who don't read at all, is largest in the age group of 18- to 19- year-olds, with around a 17 percent of them never indulging in reading. Nose stuck in a book? Generally, the number of people reading books daily or several times a week was dropping year after year, while the number of people who never read has been increasing slightly every year. A growing number of people also state that they do not buy books, though those who do still mainly buy paperbacks. This may be attributed to digitalization hitting the book industry and the understandable appeal of e-readers to an increasingly mobile nation. Next chapter The German book market is forecast to experience stable revenue development in the coming years, with the fiction segment generating the most, in comparison to textbooks and nonfiction. Changing consumption habits among readers and the rise of mobile devices and e-readers will continue to influence and change the book market.

The country reported to have read books most regularly in 2017 was China, where a survey among internet users across ** countries revealed that ** percent of respondents read a book every day or most days, and ** percent read at least once a week. Conversely, just ** percent of South Korean respondents were reading books on a daily basis. Other countries with a low share of those aged 15 years or above reading daily included Belgium, Japan, the Netherlands and Mexico.

Age and reading habits

It is surprising how much age can affect reading habits, even on a global level. In Germany, more 12 to 13-year-olds read daily or several times per week than their slightly older peers. Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, a survey showed that more teenagers and Millennials said that they would be happy without books than adults aged 34 or older. More than double the percentage of adults in Colombia aged 65 or above read a book every day than those aged between 12 and 25 years.

The number of books read over the past year in the United States was overall higher among adults aged 18 to 34 than older generations, and in Canada the share of children reading books for fun halved with the approach of teenage years. Whilst ** percent of children aged between six and eight years old were reading for pleasure multiple times per week, among ** to 17-year-olds this figure amounted to just ** percent. Meanwhile, the opposite was true of going online for fun, which increased sharply with age and replaced the activity of reading.

According to the results of an early 2024 survey, ** percent of all book readers had read between one and five books in 2024. Consumers aged 65 and above were the most frequent readers, with ** percent having read ** books or more in the last year.

A survey examining book readership in the United States as of February 2021 showed that ** percent of 18-to-29-year-olds had read a print book in the last year. The share was slightly lower among older adults, though more than ** percent of respondents in each age group reported having read at least one printed book in the 12 months leading to the survey.

In 2022 there were more than 5.4 million book readers in Italy between the ages of six and 24 years who read at least one book in the last 12 months. By comparison, the corresponding figure for those aged 45 to 64 years stood at more than 6.7 million, with this age group also being the most likely to read several books per year.

A survey conducted in Great Britain in March 2025 found that 25 percent of Britons had not read any books in three months leading to the survey. Meanwhile, ** percent had read *** book in that time, and ***** percent had read ** books or more. Results varied by demographic, but in every case, only a small percentage said that they did not read books at all.

In 2021, survey data on book readers in the United States revealed that ** percent of female respondents stated they had read or listened to at least one book in the previous 12 months. The share of men who had read a book in that time frame was slightly lower at ** percent, but marked an increase from the ** percent recorded two years earlier. Book readers in the U.S. Whilst digital formats have overtaken print in terms of popularity and consumption, many U.S. media consumers still enjoy a good book – though women tend to read more books than men. A 2018 survey showed that 11 percent of U.S. women read ** or more books that year, compared to **** percent of male respondents. Women were also more likely to prefer reading books in paperback format, and much less likely to be fans of comic books. Regardless of adults’ preferences, something which many U.S. readers agree on is the importance of reading to children. According to a report on family reading habits, 58 percent of parents with a child aged between three and five years old said that they read aloud to their child **** to ***** times per week. The frequency of read-aloud time diminished as children grew older, usually because the child could then read independently, though some children eventually swap reading for other activities such as playing video games, watching television, or using social media.

The statistic shows the average number of books read per year by consumers in the United States as of August 2018, broken down by income. The data shows that Americans earning more than ******* a year were more likely to have read more books than those on lower salaries, with ** percent of respondents in this category saying that they read between ** and ** books per year compared to ** percent of Americans with a salary below *******.

This graph depicts the frequency of reading books worldwide in 2017. During the survey, ** percent of respondents stated that they read every day or most days.

In 2024, 23.7 percent of Swedes said that they read books every week during their spare time during the 12 months prior to the survey. In previous years, the figure had been consistently above 30 percent and was close to 40 percent a decade earlier.

This statistic display the results of a survey concerning readers' motivation for reading books in France in 2023, by gender. It reveals that men and women had different reasons for reading books. Indeed, 33 percent of male readers stated that they read books to deepen their knowledge, whereas 13 percent of women did read books for the same reason. In contrast, the share of women who declared that they read books to enjoy themselves was eight points higher than among men.

Survey results indicate that the share of people who read books daily or almost daily in the Netherlands fluctuated, but overall decreased between 2013 and 2023. After 2017, the share of daily readers increased to ** percent again in 2021 and 2022. However, figures dropped again in 2023, as ** percent of those surveyed stated to read books daily or almost daily. In 2024, figures increased again, as there was ** percent of daily book readers in the Netherlands.

In early 2021, a survey found that 59 percent of adults in the United States with high school education or less had read or listened to a book in the last year. By contrast, almost 90 percent of adults who had graduated college or pursued further education after college had engaged with a print, e-book, or audiobook in the 12 months leading to the survey.

Recent data revealed that ** percent of Boomers who responded to a survey held in the United States in March 2020 were more likely to read books as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, compared to ** percent of Gen X respondents.Millennials were the most likely to read more books to keep themselves entertained whilst self-isolating, with ** percent saying that they were more inclined to read books, ***** percent higher than all adults in total.

The share of the population that had read at least one book in the last 12 months in 2022 totaled 31 percent in Turkey. That year, individuals aged 15 to 24 accounted for the highest share of readers, with 51 percent.

In 2024, a literate adult in urban Mexico read, on average, *** books per year. In 2022, the figure stood at *** books. Mexicans' favorite book genre in 2024 was literature.

During a survey conducted among literate adults in urban Mexico in February 2024, approximately 41.8 percent of respondents said they read books. In 2015, the share stood above 50 percent. Meanwhile, the average annual number of books read by a literate adult in Mexico peaked at nearly four in 2022 and fell to 3.2 in the latest measured period.

According to the results of a survey held in late 2022, American book lovers and readers still read print books the most, with ** percent having read a paperback or hardcover book that year. Kindle and other e-books were an appealing option with ** percent having read one in 2022, whereas audiobooks were substantially less popular.