Book market in Russia - statistics & facts
Despite the increasing penetration of gaming, video streaming, and other digital leisure activities, young people are the most active book readers in Russia. Besides physical products, they widely consume digital books on smartphones, e-book readers, and desktop computers. Even though the revenue growth of digital books has slowed down in recent years, more Russians use electronic and audiobooks than print books.
While digitalization has entered the Russian book industry with e-books, audiobooks, and reading apps, print books continue to be in the lead, in part due to online bookstores and marketplaces offering an increasing number of titles and growing e-commerce penetration.
Which books are popular in Russia?
Most Russians prefer to read fiction and popular science publications. Some of the most sold print fiction books in 2022 were "A Summer in the Red Scarf" by Elena Malisova and Katerina Silvanova (was later banned in the country) and "1984" by George Orwell. In 2023, Anna Jane, who was known for novels for young adults, was the most published fiction literature author by circulation. In general, imports of books from other countries significantly decreased in Russia following the war in Ukraine. The leading origins of publishing products were Latvia, China, and Belarus.Print books remain the largest segment
Even though the number of e-book users is increasing in Russia, print books continue to occupy by far the largest portion of the market. In 2022, the share of revenue from print book sales stood at approximately 89 percent, and the number of print book readers was estimated at 35 million. Furthermore, the number of physical books sold in the country was forecast to increase by two million in 2024.COVID-19 impact on the Russian book industry
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic negatively impacted retail sales of print books, as bookstores were closed during the lockdown in 2020. However, as reading is generally popular among the population, the industry recovered in 2021, and the earnings exceeded those recorded prior to the pandemic. Book e-commerce steadily grew as well, having achieved the highest growth rate in 2021 and continued expanding in the following years. As of 2023, online stores were the main distribution channel of physical books in Russia.While digitalization has entered the Russian book industry with e-books, audiobooks, and reading apps, print books continue to be in the lead, in part due to online bookstores and marketplaces offering an increasing number of titles and growing e-commerce penetration.
