SZers read an average of 18 books last year

Shenzhen residents read approximately 18 books, including 6.33 paper books and 11.66 e-books, on average in 2022, according to a municipal annual reading report released Sunday, the 28th World Book and Copyright Day and the Eighth Shenzhen Minors Reading Day.

The report showed that the city’s figures were much higher than the national average, with readers in the country reading an average of 4.76 paper books and 3.3 e-books per capita in 2022.

Children read books under a tent Sunday, the 28th World Book and Copyright Day and the Eighth Shenzhen Minors Reading Day. Sun Yuchen

The city’s adults spent an average of about two hours (116.98 minutes) per day reading last year, 24.4 minutes more than the previous year. Shenzhen residents’ daily average reading time was 68.98 minutes, more than three times the national average of 21.05 minutes, as per the report.

Digital reading has remained popular among Shenzhen readers. Most of them have enjoyed reading online and on mobile phones, e-readers and tablet computers.

Shenzheners spent an average of 26.54 minutes daily on e-readers, which was more than twice the national average of 11.78 minutes.

According to the report, the comprehensive reading rate of the city’s adult residents reached 94.2% in 2022, higher than the national level of 81.6%.

The first edition of the report was published in April 2016.