Reading books has become less and less common – whether in Brazil, Europe or the USA. What does it mean for our health?
A precipitous drop in the number of readers is affecting several parts of the planet – and the trend is worrying. According to a study by the University of Florida and University College London, in England, the number of people in the United States who maintain the habit of reading for pleasure fell more than 40% in the last 20 years. Every year, this share drops by around 3%, something “significant and very worrying”, says Jill Sonke, director of the Center for Arts in Medicine at the University of Florida.
The survey also shows the inequality in Americans’ access to reading: the decline in the habit is greater for African-Americans, people with lower income or education and those living in rural areas. “But although people with a higher level of education and women continue to read more frequently, we see changes even within these groups”, warned Jessica Bone, senior statistics and epidemiology researcher at University College London.
In Brazil, the situation is also drastic. For the first time, the share of those who do not read books is greater than those who turn to literature in their leisure time. The conclusion comes from the investigation “Retratos da Leitura no Brasil”, by Instituto Pró-Livro.
The most recent edition of the survey showed that, in 2024, 53% of respondents considered themselves “non-readers”against 47% of readers. In 2019, there were 52% readers and 48% non-readers.
When comparing the sexes, women read more: it is estimated that there are 50 million, compared to 43 million male readers in Brazil.
The only segment of the Brazilian population that did not see a drop in readership was in the 11 to 13 and over 70 age groups.
What is the reading level of Europeans?
In Europe, the situation is not very different either, according to a 2024 survey by Eurostat, the European Union’s (EU) statistical body. According to the study, almost half of the bloc’s citizens couldn’t read even one book a year. The distribution of the habit across European countries is also uneven: Ireland, Finland, Sweden, France, Denmark and Luxembourg have the highest reading level. Italy, Cyprus and Romania come in last place.
In Europe and the USA, there are also significant differences in relation to age and gender: young people aged 16 to 29 read more frequently than those over 65, and women read significantly more books than men.
The differences between physical books and e-books
Digital books are usually practical, lightweight and customizable. But the vast majority of readers continue to prefer paper editions. On the European continent, the percentage of people buying physical books was more than double that of those who downloaded e-books or audiobooks, the Eurostat survey showed.
Scientific studies prove that printed books offer important advantages over digital formats in many ways.
In 2022, researchers at the University of Valencia analyzed data from more than 450,000 participants. Their conclusion was: whoever kept the proven scientific books a better understanding of the text and deeper processing of content due to touch, which does not happen with e-books. This effect was greater mainly in school-age children.
What are the health benefits of reading?
Science suggests that maintaining a reading habit can have a positive impact on your health. Reading a book regularly can generate lower stress levelsimprove memory, protect against cognitive decline and dementia and even provide a longer life.
Research from the Yale School of Public Health found, for example, that those who have the habit of reading live, on average, another 23 months than someone who doesn’t read at all – regardless of factors such as education, income, basic health and cognitive ability.
The explanation for this may lie in the social connection provided by reading a novel, for example. Vivid scenes by a character, according to experts, would function as a kind of training, an exposure of the relationships that the reader can practice, even if you don’t have an active social life: Loneliness is a serious risk factor for early mortality, compared to smoking or obesity.
