Reading rate among China's adult citizens reaches 82.1%

Citizens experience traditional Chinese stiched bookbinding during a civil reading event in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, April 20, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

A survey released on Thursday revealed that the overall reading rate among China's adult citizens had reached 82.1 percent in 2024, marking a slight increase of 0.2 percentage points from the previous year.

The national survey on reading, presented at the fourth National Conference on Reading in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi province, indicated that last year, adult citizens had read an average of 4.8 physical books and 3.5 e-books per person -- both showing an upward trend compared to 2023.

Additionally, Chinese minors had read an average of 11.7 books each in 2024.

The survey further highlighted the growing integration of digital reading methods into citizens' daily lives, with approximately 40 percent of adults developing a habit of listening to audiobooks and roughly 80 percent engaging in reading via mobile phones.