Malaysia ranks 6th in Southeast Asia for book reading, with Malaysians reading an average of 5.49 books annually and spending 122 hours per year on reading, according to a CEOWORLD magazine survey.
The survey results are from CEOWORLD magazine’s exclusive survey, conducted with over 6.5 million participants.
Singapore led the book reading ranking
In South East Asia, Singapore leads the region with 6.72 books read per year, followed by Thailand and Indonesia.
Malaysia is places slightly behind Vietnam and the Philippines, where citizens read an average of 5.54 and 5.59 books respectively, both with 123 hours spent reading annually.
At the lower end of the Southeast Asian spectrum, countries like Cambodia, Myanmar, and Brunei have lower reading rates, with averages between 2.59 and 3.52 books per year and fewer reading hours.
United States ranked first globally
Globally, the United States and India dominate book reading, with Americans reading an average of 17 books and Indians 16 per year.
Despite the growing trend towards e-books and audiobooks, paper books remain the preferred format in both countries.
On a broader scale, the global book market, valued at $144.67 billion in 2023, is projected to grow steadily at 1.8% annually until 2030.
