Book reading: US ranks top, Bangladesh at 97th spot

Although there is a perception that people's interest in reading books has decreased in the digital age, a recent survey says otherwise. A 2024 survey conducted by CEO World Magazine among readers from 102 countries showed that people around the world still have a strong tendency to read books.

According to the survey, citizens of the United States spend the most time reading books in the world. They read books on average for about 7 hours per week, which is equal to about 357 hours per year.

India is in second place on the list, where the average weekly reading time of people is only five minutes less than that of the United States—about 7 hours, for a total of 352 hours per year.

The United Kingdom is in third place, where a citizen reads books on average for 6 hours and 30 minutes per week—about 343 hours per year.

France is in fourth place, where people read books for 5 hours and 50 minutes per week (305 hours per year). And Italy is in fifth place, where citizens spend 5 hours and 20 minutes per week, for 278 hours per year, on reading.

On the other hand, Bangladesh stands at the 97th place on the list. Here, a person reads an average of only 2.75 books a year, and spends only 62 hours reading. And Afghanistan is at the very bottom when it comes to reading books. Afghan citizens spend a total of 58 hours reading books.

The countries where people read the most books are-

1. United States – 357 hours a year

2. India – 352 hours

3. United Kingdom – 343 hours

4. France – 305 hours

5. Italy – 278 hours

6. Canada – 232 hours

7. Russia – 223 hours

8. Australia – 217 hours

9. Spain – 187 hours

10. Netherlands – 182 hours

11. Switzerland (157)

12. Taiwan (157)

13. Belgium (155)

14. Singapore (155)

15. Hong Kong (China) (155)

16. South Africa (154)

17. China (154)

18. Norway (153)
19. Austria (153)
20. Israel (149)
21. Thailand (149)
22. Iran (149)
23. Colombia (147)
24. Romania (147)
25. Chile (144)
26. Germany (141)
27. Japan (135)
28. Czech Republic (133)
29. Finland (131)
30. Turkey (130)
31. Indonesia (129)
32. Mexico (127)
33. South Korea (125)
34. Brazil (125)
35. Philippines (123)
36. Vietnam (123)
37. Malaysia (122)
38. Denmark (121)
39. Egypt (121)
40. Czech Republic (121)
41. Finland (121)
42. Portugal (120)
43. Peru (120)
44. New Zealand (119)
45. Greece (117)
46. Hungary (117)
47. Ukraine (117)
48. Slovakia (116)
49. Cuba (115)
50. Dominican Republic (115)
51. Ecuador (113)
52. Puerto Rico (113)
53. Kenya (108)
54. Bulgaria (106)
55. Luxembourg (105)
56. Venezuela (104)
57. Argentina (103)
58. Costa Rica (102)
59. Panama (101)
60. Lithuania (101)
61. Slovenia (100)
62. Estonia (98)
63. Macau (China) (98)
64. Iceland (97)
65. Georgia (96)
66. Armenia (96)
67. Albania (94)
68. Malta (94)
69. North Macedonia (94)
70. Mauritius (89)
71. Tajikistan (89)
72. Namibia (88)
73. Kyrgyzstan (87)
74. Nicaragua (86)
75. Niger (86)
76. Moldova (85)
77. Jamaica (80)
78. Syria (80)
79. Cambodia (78)
80. Zimbabwe (78)
81. Lebanon (77)
82. Bahrain (77)
83. Jordan (76)
84. Sri Lanka (76)
85. Myanmar (74)
86. Azerbaijan (74)
87. Turkmenistan (74)
88. Angola (69)
89. Oman (69)
90. Kuwait (69)
91. Ethiopia (69)
92. Morocco (67)
93. Qatar (67)
94. Algeria (65)
95. Kazakhstan (65)
96. Iraq (64)
97. Bangladesh (62)
98. United Arab Emirates (60)
99. Saudi Arabia (60)
100. Pakistan (60)
101. Brunei (60)
102. Afghanistan (58)

Analysts believe that while the spread of digital entertainment and the dominance of social media have reduced book reading, interest in books still persists in countries with strong educational standards, cultural traditions, and policies to foster reading habits.