Just The Stats About Books
While many industries struggled mightily during the pandemic, one experienced only a slight blip, and actually registered growth in many realms. Of course, we’re talking here about the book industry.
Reading soared in 2020 and 2021 as people looked for ways amid health restrictions to learn, grow, and pass the time. And authors responded in kind, publishing books at a blistering pace during the lockdowns.
Below are a few statistics I found fascinating in terms of trends in the book industry and reading markets
According to the Book Publishers Global Market Report 2021: COVID-19 Impact and Recovery to 2030, global book markets are expected to grow from $87.92 billion in 2020 to $92.68 billion in 2021. As reported by Business Wire, the market is expected to reach $104.21 billion in 2025.
As reported by Worldometers, there were approximately 1.5 million new book titles published globally in 2021.
According to the market research firm Kantar, 53% of UK adults reported that they had read a book in the last year, typically a physical book. 35% of those adults who read books are categorized as ‘heavy readers.” In other words, those who have read 10 or more books in the past year.
According to the survey by the reach firm Statistica, on Chinese reading habits conducted between August 2021 and April 2022, respondents aged above 18 years read, on average, 8.06 books, an increase from 7.99 books in the previous year. Meanwhile, respondents below 18 years read 10.93 books annually, 0.22 more than in 2020.
Print versions still account for the vast majority of books sold (International Publishers Association) Digital book sales are strongest in Korea (80.1%), Brazil (54.6%), and Norway (29.1%).
According to the NOP World Culture Score Index, the U.S. ranked in 22nd place in reading volume. According to the NOP, the average U.S. adult reads approximately five hours a week, while top readers in India, Thailand, China, Philippines, and Egypt registered between 7.5 - 10.5 hours per week reading.
The average American reads 12 books a year, according to Pew Research, but that number is a bit deceiving. The median number of books read per year in the United States is four, meaning half the country reads less than 4 books per year.
Shockingly, according to the International Literacy Association, 14% of US adults — 32 million Americans — cannot read.
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a sector of the U.S. Department of Education 85 percent of Black students lacks proficiency in reading skills. In my view the roots of this tie back to Congressman John Lewis striking admission at the 2016 National Book Awards ceremony where he noted:
Ending on a more positive note, here is a list of the top three bestselling books according to the Guinness Book Of World Records / Forbes:
The Bible - four billion copies; The Works of Mao Tse-tung - 820 million copies; The Harry Potter Series - 500 million copies