This is a look at the books read per year, based on statistics from 2024, using metric sources from various different sites. Sources will be listed at the end of this article. Sources are primarily compiled up to March of 2025.

Ever wondered how your reading habits stack up against the rest of the world? Whether you’re a voracious bookworm or an occasional reader, the numbers might surprise you. Here’s a comprehensive look at the average number of books read per year—broken down by country, age, gender, and race—plus tips for tracking your own stats and making sense of your reading life.

A look at statistics in reading (and well, why not, have a beer with it too!).

By Country: Top 10 Countries

Based on surveys and aggregated data from 2024–2025, the average number of books read per person annually in the top 10 countries is as follows. Let’s start with a global snapshot. Here’s how the top 10 book-loving countries compare in average books read per person per year:

By Race/Ethnicity (U.S. Data)

• White Americans: Spend the most time reading, with higher daily averages than other groups.

• Asian Americans: Average about 17.4 minutes of reading per day.

• Hispanic Americans: Average only 6 minutes of reading per day.

• Black Americans: Data shows lower reading proficiency scores compared to White Americans, with disparities persisting post-pandemic.

While time spent reading does not directly equate to books finished, these differences in daily reading time and literacy performance suggest White and Asian Americans read more books on average per year than Black and Hispanic Americans.

By Age Bracket (U.S. Data)

• 18–29 years: 83% read at least one book per year, the highest among all age groups.

• 30–49 years: 73% read at least one book per year.

• 50–64 years: 70% read at least one book per year.

• 65+ years: 67% read at least one book per year.

Millennials (roughly corresponding to the 18–34 age group) are noted as the generation reading the most books, with high library usage and a preference for both print and digital formats.

By Gender (U.S. Data)

• Women: Consistently read more books than men. In recent surveys, 77% of women reported reading at least one book in the previous year, compared to 68% of men.

• Fiction Reading: The gap is even wider for fiction; in 2022, 46.9% of women read fiction compared to just 27.7% of men, a persistent 19-point difference over the last decade.

Overall: The gender gap in reading is widening, especially among younger generations, with women leading in both quantity and frequency of book reading.

Summary Table: U.S. Book Reading Percentages by Demographic

Key Insights

• The United States leads the world in average books read per year, followed closely by India and the United Kingdom.

Women, younger adults, and White/Asian Americans are the most active book readers in the U.S.

• The gender gap in reading persists and is growing, especially among younger generations.

Millennials are the most avid readers by age group.

Sources

A list of sources used to compile the above data and information:

• Average Books Read Per Year by Country 2025
• Ranked: Countries That Reads The Most Books, 2024
• Average daily time spent reading per capita in the United States from 2018 to 2023, by ethnicity (by hours)
• Exploring Reading Habits Across Demographics: A Data-Driven Analysis
• Share of adults who have read a book in any format in the last 12 months in the United States in 2019 and 2021, by age group
• The Men-Women Split in Reading is Real—and Persists Amid Historical Rate Declines

Some Other Literature Based Articles

• Literature and Libations: A Beer and Book Guide
• Philosophy and Craft Beer: A Confluence of Thought and Taste

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2020 has been a challenging year (to say the least) for all kinds of events, conventions, brew fests, and other large beer related activities. Hell, Oktoberfest in Germany was cancelled this year. That alone should tell you everything you need to know about this year right there.

So the 2020 edition of GABF was not the normal (great) event it normally is. This year it went virtual (due to the pandemic) rather than being the fantastic event that brings in thousands of people and millions of gallons of beer to Colorado.

This was a rather lackluster year for awards in Pennsylvania as well. Sadly; this year, Pennsylvania only won three awards. One gold, and two silvers. Contrast that to last year’s seven awards won by Pennsylvania breweries (three gold, three silver, and one bronze). Hopefully 2021 will be a better year for Pennsylvania breweries (and not just in medalling at the GABF).

The results for Pennsylvania are below:

GOLD:

Category: Gluten-Free Beer
Brewery: Aurochs Brewing
Beer: Aurochs Hazy IPA

SILVER:

Category: English Mild or Bitter
Brewery: Wallenpaupack Brewing
Beer: English Pale Mild Ale

Category: English-Style Brown Ale
Brewery: Attic Brewing
Beer: Bloodhound Brown Ale

In 2019, Pennsylvania breweries that won included: New Trail Brewing Co, The Church Brew Works, 2SP Brewing, Free Will Brewing, Cellar Works Brewing, Swashbuckler Brewing Co, and Helltown Brewing Company.

You can read about the 2019 results here: 2019 GABF Winners: Pennsylvania.

For more information on the winners, of all of the different categories, you can read the Brewers Association press release on it, with a detailed analysis at the following link: Winners of 2020 Great American Beer Festival (Brewer’s Association Press). 272 medals were decided for 240 different breweries this year, which was the 34th edition of the event.

“Judges for the 34th edition of the celebrated competition evaluated 8,806 entries from 1,720 breweries from all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. Socially distanced judging took place in 35 sessions over 18 days with strict safety measures in place. The awards ceremony was held virtually on Friday evening, kicking off the two-day online programming portion of the Great American Beer Festival.  

“This year’s GABF competition may have looked a little different, but the beers entered into the competition were as impressive and innovative as ever,” said Chris Swersey, competition manager, Great American Beer Festival. “This has arguably been one of the most challenging years breweries have ever faced, so we hope these awards serve as a symbol not only of brewing excellence but also the resiliency of the craft brewing community as a whole.” (Brewer’s Association)

As per the above article, a quick run-down of statistics from the 2020 GABF Event:

GABF Competition Statistics

• 34th edition of the GABF competition  
• 8,806 beers judged 
• 1,720 breweries in the competition from all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. 
• 115 judges from 21 states 
• Average number of competition beers entered in each category: 97 
• Category with the highest number of entries: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale (377) 
• 272 total medals awarded  
• 240 medal-winning breweries  
• 337 first-time GABF entrants 
• 19 first-time GABF winners 

Sun King Brewery in Indianapolis, Indiana, won the most awards at this year’s event with 4 awards total. (One gold, and three bronzes.) In November, I am making a road trip out of Pennsylvania and through Western PA, Ohio, and into Indianapolis to visit the Vonnegut Museum and Library. I can definitely tell you that Sun King Brewery will be a stop for me at some point on that trip (they’ve been on my radar for quite a bit).

Cheers and here’s to hoping that 2021 is a much better year for our home state breweries in Pennsylvania. Let me know in the comments if you’ve tried any of the 2020 award winning beers. And check out the full article and let us know what you think of the results from around the country.

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Cheers!

-B. Kline