Books: frequency of reading Germany 2023

30.56 million Germans stated they read books less than once a month. Even less did so several times a week. Figures varied during the specified time period.

Reading habits

In terms of reading habits, most consumers are quite involved with reading magazines, at least as far as print is concerned, and turn to them for anything from inspiration to concentrating on particular articles. Given the much higher revenue of printed books compared to e-books, most people still seem to prefer printed books when reading. At the same time, the number of people reading books on electronic devices (smartphones, tablets, e-readers) is gradually increasing. Print foreign-language newspapers and books are also accessible in Germany, and while the number of people never reading them has remained pretty much consistent, the number of readers who do so regularly is growing.

Children and teenagers

And what of specifically younger reader generations in Germany? Based on recent surveys, reading is one of the most popular free time activities for children in Germany. The share of teenagers who liked to read daily or several times a week fluctuated somewhat, but generally remained at around 40 percent.

Number of people reading books in Germany from 2019-2023, by frequency (in millions)

Characteristic	Daily	Several times a week	Once a week	Once every two weeks	Once a month	Less than once a month
-	-	-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-	-	-

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Release date

June 2023

More information

Region

Germany

Survey time period

2018 to 2023

Age group

14 years and older

Special properties

German-speaking population, private households

Method of interview

Face-to-face interview

Supplementary notes

Information on base:
German-speaking resident population aged 14 years and older.

Information on random sample:
2017: 23,356 respondents, projection to 70.09 million people
2018: 23,389 respondents, projection to 70.45 million people
2019: 23,318 respondents, projection to 70.60 million people
2020: 23,191 respondents, projection to 70.64 million people
2021: 22,563 respondents, projection to 70.54 million people
2022: 23,015 respondents, projection to 70.60 million people

Further information on methodology availablehere.

This question was asked during the survey in the following wording: "What do you think, how often do you pick up a book - would you say..."

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