PEOPLE - World's 5 Biggest Reading Nations

World's 5 Biggest Reading Nations

By SiliconIndia  |   Sunday, 07 July 2013, 20:12 Hrs

Bangalore: In the modern world, an information deprived person is the most ignorant person. So in order to access oneself with the world’s information, reading is one such habit that can accomplish that. India dedicating 10 hours per week of their time have top the list of the big reading nations.

As listed by NOP World Culture Score(TM) Index, the top five countries with the maximum readership are as follows-

1. India

India which is one of the developing nations with a home to 1.2 billion people with different cultures and traditions has topped the list as the most reading nation among the thirty countries surveyed.

Since Indian education is mostly theoretical, most kids grow up reading their syllabus books and later newspaper and magazine are the most read one.

In this country with a diverse populations, most of the people are an avid reader be it the school going kids or the retired old man. One will often come across gentleman in a road side side tea stall hook on to newspaper and even the school going kid takes along with them a copy of their favorite novel or a comic inside their school bags.

The ever preoccupied sections of the society that is the women folk too engage themselves in going through the magazines or romantic novels during their leisure time. Also the cobblers, the tea-vendors and even the beggars read something or the other too.

As such India topped the list as most of the average Indian citizen reads 10:42 hours per week.

2. Thailand

Thailand one of the Southeast Asian countries has an average overall readership of 9:24 per week.

In Thailand, education is well established with compulsory education up to age group 14. The government provides free education upto age group 17. Like India, teaching methods mostly involved theory rather than student-centre methodology and practical as such students spent most of their time in reading their syllabus books.

With an aim to instill reading a habit and lifelong touch with education among the Thais, the Office of the Non-Formal and Informal Education under the Ministry of Education has come up with various projects for its citizen like "Smart Book Home" project are launch. This project established many community libraries or community learning centers especially in rural and remote areas spread across nationwide.

The government of Thailand even included promotion of reading in their national agenda. 2^nd April, the birthday of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has been declared the Love of Reading Day by the Cabinet.

As the government work hard towards developing reading as the main habit of the Thais, it has no doubt rank at 2^nd at the world’s list of most reading nation.

3. Philippines

Bible is the most read book in the Asian country of Phillipines where 67 percent of people read Bible regularly followed by romance or love novels, cookbooks, comic books and so on.

Philippines ranks at 3^rd in the list of the most reading nation with an average of 7:36 hours per week.

The youth are the section of the Philippines societies who are mostly into reading as compared to other section of the society. At the age of 16, they started reading non syllabus books. It is the private schools where most of the children are mostly into reading not only academics oriented books but also some other like newspapers, magazines, and comics.

Bed time is the most preferred time for most of people to engage themselves in reading something or the other in this country. They also prefer other forms of reading like reading through the new media.

Philippines is thus the third Asian countries to be included in the list of most reading nations of the world.

4. Egypt

Egypt which is officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country where ancient civilization are still preserved in its originality take for instance The Pyramids.

The rich culture country still consider reading as the most essential habit to keep oneself aloof and in touch with the world and its happening. They feel it is a habit where one does not just end up wasting one’s time instead one gain knowledge in the process.

In NOP World Culture Score(TM) Index, Egypt comes up in the fourth rank with an average of 7:05 hours per week in the most read country of the world.

Though internet age has overtaken the other forms of printed media, reading continues to be the most preferred form of gaining knowledge in Egypt. The European style education system in the country have encourages students to read.

5. Czech Republic

Czech Republic have come up with a teaching approach to reading that will helped the people formed an attitude to reading as a special interest and activity.

A special newspaper only published for Sunday have also once again brings the people to spend their holidays engaging themselves in accessing information by reading something or the other.

Czech Republic, a Central European country is included on the list of the nation with most readers and is ranked at 5^th with 7 hours 24 minutes per week as their reading hours.