A. Guttmann
Research Lead covering media
Book market in Mexico - statistics & facts
The publishing industry in Mexico has recovered. Before the pandemic, the book sales revenue was increasing. The figure reached a peak in 2019, only to tumble 24.6 percent in the following year. However, the most recent data from 2022 already shows that the sector has risen from the fall. At the same time, the number of book copies printed in the North American country surpassed 104 million. The beginning of the so-called "new normal" suggested a higher demand for publications – approximately 42 percent of adults surveyed in Mexico said they read books in 2024.
While the publishing industry in Mexico is growing in terms of revenues and production alike, it seems that digital books are mostly behind this success. Readership in general however, shows signs of decline, which might negatively reflect on sales in the near future.
Motivations for and inhibitors of reading
For a while it seemed that more Mexicans were reading, and they were beginning to read more. The average annual number of books read by adults grew since 2019, reaching 3.9 titles in 2022. However, 2024 data shows a decline again. However fundamental it might be, it is also a pastime that people in Mexico might not find time for. Close to half of adults in the country mentioned lack of time as the main reason for not reading books. Lack of interest or motivation ranked second. Approximately 1.2 percent of people who tend to stay away from books stated that they did not have the financial resources to include the publications in their media repertoire. On the other hand, more than four out of ten consumers surveyed in Mexico said they read for the sake of entertainment, while work or study-related reasons were mentioned by about one-fourth of respondents, showing that perhaps Mexicans are choosing less time-consuming media.Digital books consumption driving the industry
Another trend flourished in 2021. The percentage of adults who read e-books in Mexico hit 21.5 percent – two times higher than the share recorded in 2018. In 2024 this figure jumped to 26 percent. This hike indicates that the digital book segment is becoming less of a niche in Mexico and more of a strategic part of the overall publishing business. Mexico alone accounts for more than 16 percent of the Spanish-language e-book sales revenue worldwide. That is more than Chile, Argentina, Colombia, and Peru combined. And e-reader users have clear preferences in terms of genre. Contemporary fiction and self-help altogether take up about 30 percent of the e-book sales revenue in Mexico.While the publishing industry in Mexico is growing in terms of revenues and production alike, it seems that digital books are mostly behind this success. Readership in general however, shows signs of decline, which might negatively reflect on sales in the near future.
