• 42.5% read less often than monthly or never read
• German women read more than men
• Older Germans read more than younger Germans

Number of Germans who buy a book each year 

• In 2018, 29.9 million Germans bought a book
• In 2013, 36.5 million Germans bought a book
• Since 2013, the number of Germans who buy a book each year has decreased by 18%
• From 2012 to 2017 the number of German buying a book declined each year
• However, 300 thousand more Germans bought a book in 2018 than they did in 2017

By age group

• More 50 to 59-year-olds buy books in Germany than any other age group
• Until the age of 60, each age group has more people who buy books than the last 

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• 15.2% more German 20-29-year-olds buy books now than they did in 2017
• 15.8% more German 30-39-year-olds buy books now than they did in 2017

How many books do Germans buy?

• 17% of Germans buy 1 or 2 books a year 
• 15.6% of Germans buy 3 or 4 books a year
• 11.8% of Germans buy between 5 and 9 books a year 
• 5.7% of Germans buy between 10 and 19 books 
• 3.5% of Germans buy more than 20 books a year

How often do Germans read?

• 12.8% of Germans read every day
• 18.2% of Germans read once a week
• 19.4% read from every two weeks to every month
• 42.5% read less often or never
• 40% read daily once or several times a week, while 42 % don’t read at least once a month