Who are the world's readers? Which countries boast more bookworms? World Population Review took a closer look at the time spent reading in various nations in 2024.
The Yanks -- even if their prez doesn't read -- are the most serious readers globally -- 17 books a year, nearly 7 hours weekly, adding up to ~357 hours annually.
India should be proud of being second on this prestigious list. We read 7 hours a week, trailing Americans by merely 5 minutes weekly. And 16 kitab a year. Wah!
Folks from the UK are buried inside their books (Shakespeare, Jane Eyre, PG Wodehouse?), ~6.5 hours a week, amounting to 343 hours annually, reading 15 volumes a year.
The French like their wine. Their cheese. Their desserts. And books too. They spend close to 5 hours, 50 minutes enjoying books weekly and read 14 books yearly.
Between courses of antipasti, pasta, pasticcini, cups of macchiato, Italians dedicate 5 hours, 20 minutes each week to reading, resulting in 13 books under their belts in a year.
On the other side of Europe, Russians are equally studious -- 11 books a year, assigning roughly 217 hours annually to reading.
Folks in the Land Down Under whiz through 10 books each year, devoting nearly 187 hours annually to reading.
Out on the Iberian peninusula, be it the beaches of Costa Brava, the grand libraries of Madrid, cafes of Barcelona, you will see people reading. The stats: 9 books a year, or 187 hours annually.