With the decision UNESCO in 1995, April 23 was declared “World Book and Copyright Day”.
This date has symbolic meaning in world literature, as William Shakespeare, one of the leading figures of English literature, and Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote, one of the cornerstones of Western literature, passed away on April 23.
On “World Book Day”, brings book lovers together with events organized around the world. Many readers and writers come together to bring to the agenda books that serve as a bridge between the past and the present, and bring together the present and the future.
UNESCO has been designating a new “World Book Capital” every year since 2001. In this context, the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro was chosen “World Book Capital” of 2025.
The countries that read the most books in the world
According to the online statistics portal World Population Review and CEO World Magazine article, the USA led the list of countries with the most books read in 2024, followed by India with a very small difference.
In the US, an average of 357 hours of books are read per person per year, which corresponds to about 17 books per year. In Afghanistan, which is at the bottom of the list, this data corresponds to about 3 books per year.
In India, which ranks second on the list and where the average number of books read per person is 16, the number of hours spent reading books per person per year is approximately 352, while in England, which ranks third, 343 hours of books are read per year.
After the USA, India and England, France and Italy were counted among the countries where most books are read in the world.
This ranking was followed by Canada, Russia, Australia, Spain, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The countries with the least time spent on books included Afghanistan, Brunei, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Printed books are preferred over digital formats
Although interest in digital media has increased with the proliferation of technologies such as smartphones, tablets and digital reading platforms, printed books are preferred over audio and e-books in the United States, the country with the most books read in the world.
More than 780 million books were sold last year in the United States, which is set to take over from India as the country with the most books read in the world by a narrow margin in 2024.
Although books consumed in digital environments have become popular in the last few years, this digitalization does not negatively affect the printing and publishing sector.
According to data from the American Publishers Association, approximately 250 million dollars in revenue was generated from e-books, whose sales decreased in the first quarter of 2024 compared to 2023.
Printed books, which will generate approximately 3 billion dollars in revenue by 2023, are leading the market in sales compared to digital formats.
The most read books of all time are the holy books
Considered to be among the most influential books of the 21st century, the “Harry Potter Series” written by JK Rowling and the “Lord of the Rings” written by JRR Tolkien are among the most read books in the world.
Among the masterpieces of world literature are Miguel de Cervantes’ novel Don Quixote, as well as Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities,” Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s “The Little Prince,” Victor Hugo’s “Les Misérables,” and Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s “Crime and Punishment.”
“Selected Sayings of Chairman Mao,” a compilation of statements by Mao Zedong, the founding leader of the People’s Republic of China, is also among the popular books.
