Reading consumption distribution in France 2021

Reading books is far from being a dying trend in France, where nearly a quarter of readers consider themselves to be avid readers. A result that is not really surprising when more than 20 percent of the French people read 20 or more books per year, on print format.

Print vs digital format

While reading paper books remains the norm among French readers, digital reading is gradually gaining ground among readers. This new type of reading, whether on an electronic reader or on a smartphone via dedicated applications, saves space and offers greater adaptability, even useful tools such as integrated dictionaries. Although popular, e-books are struggling to dethrone the paper format, which remains the preferred format for many consumers.

Points of purchase

This uncertain increase can be explained by the fact that many French people prefer to buy books in stores. Supermarkets specializing in cultural items as well as bookstores are the preferred points of purchase for consumers. However, many readers complain about the lack of a point of purchase near their homes or the lack of choice on the spot and turn to online alternatives such as Amazon, which allows for extremely fast delivery to the households.