Cyprus lags in online book shopping

Cyprus ranked lowest in the European Union for online purchases of printed or digital books, magazines, or newspapers in 2023, according to Eurostat data released on World Book Day. Only 1.4% of Cyprus residents bought printed books online, while a mere 0.6% purchased digital books, magazines, or newspapers. These figures were significantly lower compared to the EU averages of 13.4% and 7.2%, respectively.

Across the EU, the proportion of people buying printed books online remained higher than those purchasing digital copies. About 13.4% of EU residents bought printed books online in 2023, a slight increase from the previous year but below the 2021 level. Meanwhile, 7.2% purchased ebooks, online magazines, or newspapers, indicating a slight rise from 2022 but stable compared to 2021.

Among EU member states, the Netherlands reported the highest percentage of residents purchasing printed books online (23.5%), followed by Luxembourg (22.2%) and Ireland (21.1%). Conversely, Cyprus had the lowest share (1.4%), along with Latvia (2.9%) and Bulgaria (3.7%).

For ebooks, Denmark had the highest proportion of buyers (22.0%), followed by the Netherlands (21.6%) and Ireland (16.9%). Cyprus, Bulgaria, and Romania had the lowest rates, with only 0.6%, 2.0%, and 2.2%, respectively.

Denmark and Finland were the only countries where more people purchased ebooks than printed books in the three months preceding the data collection period.