China's reading rate rises amid digital reading boom: survey

NANCHANG, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Amid a growing trend of digital reading, the comprehensive reading rate of Chinese adults climbed to 82.3 percent in 2025, according to a national survey released on Monday.

The figure, up 0.2 percentage points from the previous year, underscores China's efforts to build a reading-friendly society.

The survey, launched by the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication, was unveiled at the fifth National Conference on Reading held in Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province.

It found that China's per capita reading volume of paper books and e-books reached 8.39 copies in 2025, while the total number of digital reading works exceeded 70 million titles.

The survey also found that last year, 80.8 percent of Chinese adult citizens reported engaging in digital reading. A growing number of people turned to audiobooks and video book reviews, with the figures rising from 38.5 percent and 5.7 percent in 2024 to 38.7 percent and 6.3 percent in 2025, respectively.

Strong demand has boosted market development. According to the survey, China's mass digital reading market nearly doubled over the past five years, growing from 30.25 billion yuan (about 4.4 billion U.S. dollars) to 59.48 billion yuan.

However, paper books retained their appeal, as 45.9 percent of Chinese adults still preferred physical books to other reading formats. Meanwhile, in terms of content, literature was particularly favored.

This reflects that while enjoying the convenience of digital reading, the public's need for immersive thinking, systematic learning and spiritual nourishment has not diminished.

Wu Shulin, chairman of the Publishers Association of China, believes that in the digital era, deep reading remains the foundation for personal growth, career success and moral cultivation.

He called for stronger guidance on digital reading and efforts to foster a culture of deep reading, encouraging readers to shift from "fragmented browsing" to "in-depth reading."