Survey: Croatia reads less than European average

Croatia reads less than the European average, ranking 23rd alongside Portugal, with only Italians, Bulgarians, Romanians and Cypriots reading less, according to a survey of the book market presented at the opening of Book Night at the National and University Library.

The results were presented by Tamara Kraus from the market analysis agency Karika, who explained that residents of Mediterranean countries tend to spend more time outdoors due to a greater number of sunny days than those in northern Europe. Nevertheless, in Croatia, Istria and the coastal regions - the sunnier southern parts of the country - show above-average levels of reading by Croatian standards.

In addition to these regions, women, those with higher education and high-income earners also read more than average, the survey found.

It was conducted in March on a sample of 1,000 respondents for the third consecutive year.

The findings also showed that the downward trend in reading has stopped, with results nearly identical over the past two years - 37% of Croatians read at least one book in the past year.

Women mostly read fiction, while men tend to favour non-fiction. Fiction remains the most commonly purchased and read category, although interest has stagnated. Non-fiction is read less frequently, but interest in it is growing. As for manuals and professional literature, both purchasing and interest are declining. Overall book sales have stagnated since 2022, with most books being purchased in bookshops in and around Zagreb.

The number of people who do not buy books due to a lack of interest has fallen, while the number of those who do not purchase books because they can borrow them from libraries has increased. In fact, 69% of respondents said that libraries meet all their reading needs, meaning they can find every title they are looking for there.

Online content is read by 75% of the population, most often daily news, followed by blogs and social media content.

The results also revealed that only 15% of people attend book promotions at least once a year, and these are more often those with higher education and higher incomes.

"Italy, according to Eurostat, has a low number of readers, only 35%, and fewer people read only in Romania and Cyprus," Kraus noted, citing examples of good practice for increasing reading interest.

"Two private companies printed excerpts from various books on their products, showing that different products can also be educational," she added.

The 14th edition of Book Night was formally opened in the lobby of the National and University Library in Zagreb on Wednesday. Held under the theme "On animals and humans", the event spans more than 260 towns and cities across Croatia, involving 330 institutions and featuring around 1,100 individual programmes.

Book Night is held to mark both World Book and Copyright Day, observed on 23 April, and Croatian Book Day, marked on 22 April. Events will also take place in parks, archaeological sites, the Police Academy and even the prison in the northwestern city of Varaždin.