The map above shows the percentage of people 16+ in most European countries that have read at least one book in the last 12 months. Switzerland, Luxembourg and Denmark are at the top of the pack whereas Romania, Türkiye and Cyprus are at the bottom.
The data comes from Eurostat. And here’s how it breaks down by gender in each country:
| Country | Total (%) | Male (%) | Female (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) | 52.8 | 44.5 | 60.5 |
| Belgium | 60.1 | 52.4 | 67.4 |
| Bulgaria | 37.8 | 29.4 | 45.5 |
| Czechia | 64.2 | 50.2 | 77.3 |
| Denmark | 72.2 | 64.4 | 79.8 |
| Estonia | 70.7 | 61.5 | 78.6 |
| Ireland | 66.5 | 56.3 | 76.3 |
| Greece | 43 | 35.9 | 49.6 |
| Spain | 54.2 | 46.9 | 61 |
| France | 61.6 | 51.7 | 70.7 |
| Croatia | 42 | 30.4 | 52.6 |
| Italy | 35.4 | 30.7 | 39.8 |
| Cyprus | 33.1 | 25.2 | 40.4 |
| Latvia | 50.4 | 36.2 | 61.6 |
| Lithuania | 52.4 | 38.7 | 63.9 |
| Luxembourg | 75.3 | 69.4 | 81.3 |
| Hungary | 52.4 | 43.5 | 60.3 |
| Malta | 43.7 | 35.1 | 53.1 |
| Netherlands | 67.3 | 60.4 | 74 |
| Austria | 63.7 | 54.8 | 72.2 |
| Poland | 54.6 | 40.5 | 66.6 |
| Portugal | 41.9 | 33.4 | 49.4 |
| Romania | 29.4 | 24.2 | 34.3 |
| Slovenia | 59.5 | 47.8 | 71.2 |
| Slovakia | 47.9 | 32.1 | 62.8 |
| Finland | 69.7 | 62.5 | 76.8 |
| Sweden | 69.7 | 63.9 | 75.6 |
| Norway | 71 | 63.3 | 78.7 |
| Switzerland | 80.6 | 75 | 86 |
| Montenegro | 35.4 | 29.9 | 40.6 |
| Serbia | 35.2 | 24 | 45.6 |
| Türkiye | 30.3 | 26.3 | 34.2 |
Are these numbers higher or lower than you’d expect?
Leave a Reply