EU citizens prefer printed rather than electronic books

The research was published on the occasion of World Book and Copyright Day, which is celebrated on April 23.

At the EU level, in 2023, 13.4 percent of those who made a purchase in the three months before the survey bought a printed book online. It was more than in 2022 (12.7 percent), but less than in 2021 (14.5 percent).

In Serbia, in the same period, almost six percent of citizens bought a printed book, according to data from the European Statistical Agency.

In the observed period, 7.2 percent of citizens in the EU bought an e-book compared to 6.6 percent in 2022 and similar to 2021.

The highest percentage of citizens who bought a printed book in the three months of 2023 before the survey was in the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Ireland, over 20 percent, and the lowest, just slightly higher than a percentage, in Cyprus.

At the same time, the highest number of those who bought an e-book was recorded in Denmark, 22 percent, and the lowest in Cyprus, less than one percent.

Denmark and Finland are the only EU member states where more people bought electronic than printed books.