12.6
2021 (latest)
BOOKS READ PER YEAR
mean books read, all or part of the way through, past year · 1990–2021 · higher is better · Gallup
15.3
1990
18.5
high · 1999
12.6
low · 2021
−18%
since 1990
┊ dashed lines mark 1991 Gulf War recession · 2001 Dot-com bust & 9/11 · 2008 Global financial crisis · 2020 COVID-19 pandemic
Method & caveats. "How many books did you read, either all or part of the way through, in the past year?" — interviewers count printed books, e-books, and audiobooks. Gallup's trend, asked seven times between 1990 and 2021 (an irregular cadence, shown honestly). LAST ASKED December 2021: the series is dormant until Gallup re-asks. The 2021 reading (12.6) was the lowest Gallup had measured, driven by fewer heavy readers (27% read 10+ books, down 8 points from 2016).
Sources
Every value on this page is read from the publisher below. Current and historical source documents:
- https://news.gallup.com/poll/388541/americans-reading-fewer-books-past.aspx
- https://github.com/danielmiessler/substrate/tree/main/Data/US-Societal-Health
Data
| Year | Books Read per Year | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 12.6 | −19% |
| 2016 | 15.6 | +10% |
| 2005 | 14.2 | −10% |
| 2002 | 15.8 | +9% |
| 2001 | 14.5 | −22% |
| 1999 | 18.5 | +21% |
| 1990 | 15.3 | — |
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