Proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers, magazines or electronic books in digital format, both sexes (%) by country
February 2026 Data Release
Countries reporting
65
Highest
92.9%
Republic of Korea
Lowest
0.2%
El Salvador
Median
62.6%
Years covered
23
2002–2024
Data points
841
What the numbers show
Proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers, magazines or electronic books in digital format, both sexes (%) is currently reported for 65 countries. The highest value is 92.9% in Republic of Korea; the lowest is 0.2% in El Salvador.
The median across all reporting countries is 62.6%, and the mean is 53.6%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 464.
Over the past decade 58 countries rose and 6 fell. The largest increase was in Paraguay (up 2,041.7%), and the largest decrease in El Salvador (down 77.8%).
Proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Republic of Korea | 92.9% | 2023 | up 33.9% | rising |
| 2 | Iceland | 92.8% | 2014 | up 51.9% | rising |
| 3 | Norway | 92.0% | 2023 | up 5.9% | rising |
| 4 | Denmark | 87.3% | 2024 | up 22.3% | rising |
| 5 | Hong Kong, China | 82.1% | 2022 | up 32.2% | rising |
| 6 | Cyprus | 81.3% | 2023 | up 70.8% | rising |
| 7 | Lithuania | 80.5% | 2023 | up 29.4% | rising |
| 8 | Estonia | 79.1% | 2023 | up 8.2% | rising |
| 9 | Sweden | 77.5% | 2024 | down 5.1% | rising |
| 9 | Czechia | 77.5% | 2023 | up 22.4% | rising |
| 11 | Malta | 75.9% | 2023 | up 56.5% | rising |
| 12 | Greece | 75.8% | 2023 | up 64.4% | volatile |
| 13 | Finland | 74.9% | 2016 | up 61.8% | rising |
| 14 | Netherlands | 74.8% | 2022 | up 35.8% | rising |
| 15 | Montenegro | 73.8% | 2022 | up 73.6% | rising |
| 15 | Serbia | 73.8% | 2023 | up 81.8% | rising |
| 15 | Spain | 73.8% | 2023 | up 47.3% | rising |
| 18 | Switzerland | 72.5% | 2023 | up 14.7% | rising |
| 18 | Luxembourg | 72.5% | 2024 | down 10.4% | rising |
| 20 | Belarus | 71.3% | 2023 | up 52.7% | rising |
| 21 | Latvia | 70.6% | 2023 | up 10.7% | rising |
| 22 | Croatia | 70.4% | 2023 | up 25.3% | rising |
| 23 | Poland | 69.3% | 2023 | up 158.6% | volatile |
| 24 | Slovenia | 68.6% | 2023 | up 19.5% | rising |
| 25 | Portugal | 68.3% | 2023 | up 52.5% | rising |
| 26 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 67.5% | 2023 | up 38.6% | rising |
| 27 | Malaysia | 67.3% | 2023 | up 55.1% | rising |
| 28 | Hungary | 65.4% | 2017 | up 133.6% | rising |
| 29 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 64.3% | 2016 | up 176.0% | rising |
| 30 | Belgium | 63.2% | 2023 | up 47.3% | rising |
| 31 | Germany | 62.9% | 2024 | up 4.0% | rising |
| 32 | Bahrain | 62.7% | 2023 | up 139.3% | rising |
| 33 | Japan | 62.6% | 2022 | up 1,505.1% | volatile |
| 34 | Austria | 62.2% | 2023 | up 52.1% | rising |
| 35 | Slovakia | 61.6% | 2024 | up 18.0% | rising |
| 36 | Bulgaria | 59.0% | 2023 | up 56.1% | rising |
| 37 | Romania | 55.6% | 2023 | up 92.4% | rising |
| 38 | Italy | 55.1% | 2023 | up 38.8% | rising |
| 39 | Indonesia | 52.7% | 2023 | up 225.3% | rising |
| 40 | Türkiye | 52.0% | 2024 | up 41.7% | volatile |
| 41 | Singapore | 51.8% | 2023 | up 87.7% | rising |
| 42 | North Macedonia | 50.6% | 2017 | up 583.8% | rising |
| 43 | France | 49.6% | 2023 | up 21.9% | rising |
| 44 | Macau, China | 48.5% | 2021 | up 109.1% | rising |
| 45 | Brazil | 47.5% | 2023 | up 123.0% | rising |
| 46 | Morocco | 46.4% | 2021 | up 64.0% | rising |
| 47 | Georgia | 40.2% | 2023 | up 20.7% | rising |
| 48 | Ireland | 39.8% | 2015 | up 870.7% | volatile |
| 49 | Qatar | 31.3% | 2020 | down 7.7% | falling |
| 50 | Mexico | 29.9% | 2023 | up 21.5% | volatile |
| 51 | Mauritius | 27.2% | 2020 | up 198.9% | rising |
| 52 | Paraguay | 25.7% | 2023 | up 2,041.7% | volatile |
| 53 | Thailand | 24.4% | 2020 | up 369.2% | rising |
| 54 | Jamaica | 21.0% | 2021 | up 425.0% | rising |
| 55 | Russian Federation | 17.4% | 2023 | up 31.8% | falling |
| 56 | Ukraine | 16.9% | 2021 | up 89.9% | rising |
| 57 | United Arab Emirates | 15.7% | 2023 | down 74.0% | volatile |
| 58 | Colombia | 15.1% | 2023 | up 190.4% | rising |
| 59 | Kazakhstan | 10.6% | 2023 | down 2.8% | flat |
| 60 | Iran, Islamic Republic of | 9.9% | 2021 | up 115.2% | rising |
| 61 | Egypt | 7.2% | 2022 | up 800.0% | rising |
| 62 | Azerbaijan | 5.4% | 2023 | up 86.2% | rising |
| 63 | Ecuador | 4.1% | 2024 | up 1,950.0% | volatile |
| 64 | Albania | 3.1% | 2023 | — | falling |
| 65 | El Salvador | 0.2% | 2020 | down 77.8% | volatile |
About this data
February 2026 Data Release