Philippines among countries that buy books most often – Picodi report

MANILA, Philippines – With the massive crowds that flock to book sales each year, it should come as no surprise that the Philippines is among the countries that buy books most often.

A report by global e-commerce platform Picodi said that 69% of people here bought at least one book at least in the past year.

Picodi stressed that its report does not determine the most-reading nation, but only identifies the countries where books are bought most often. Turkey emerged on top with 87% of respondents saying they bought a book at least once a year, followed by Russia with 82%, and Spain with 81%.

Picodi released the report in time for the celebration of the World Book and Copyright Day on April 23. The data dived into how, when, why, and whether at all Filipinos buy books. 

Where Filipinos get books

It would seem that Filipinos prefer to buy their own books rather than borrow, with 54% saying they get their books from stores, 12% borrowing from friends, and 7% borrowing from libraries.

Of the 54% that buy books in stores, majority (74%) are women.

Interestingly enough, even as the Philippines ranks high when it comes to frequency of buying books, a considerable number, 27%, said that they didn’t read much, or are not interested in books.

Paper books still remain the most popular format for Filipino readers, with 60% buying paper books at bricks-and-mortar stores, and 38% buying from online book retailers.

Based on data gathered by Picodi over the last 3 years, the demand for books online spikes during July and December, which answer for 12% each of annual transactions, while interest dips to a low of 5% in April.

Romance reigns supreme

Fiction is the most popular type of literature among readers, with 84% saying they prefer it over non-fiction, textbooks, and other types of books. When it comes to genres, Filipinos prove their love for love stories, with majority of respondents (54%) saying they prefer the romance genre. Other popular genres include:

• Thriller – 33%
• Adventure – 31%
• Sci-fi and fantasy – 27%
• Crime fiction – 25%

When it comes to their motives for buying books, 42% of respondents said they buy because they simply love to read. However, 55% Filipinos did say that they chose bargain price as the reason in determining book purchase.

The data in Picodi’s report were gathered from an analysis of transactions in online bookstores, as well as a survey conducted in March 2019 among 7,800 respondents in 41 countries. – Rappler.com