A recent EU report highlights Malta’s poor reading habits, revealing that over half of the population, including nearly two-thirds of men, didn’t read a single book in 2022.
The study, conducted by the EU’s statistics office, found that 56% of Maltese hadn’t read any books during the year, and 27% read fewer than five.
Although Malta performs better than some European countries, such as Romania (where 70% haven’t read a book), Cyprus, Italy, and Bulgaria, the rate of non-readers in Malta is still above the EU average of 47%. Only 11% of Maltese are avid readers, reporting more than ten books read annually, while 8% read between five and nine books.
Switzerland leads in reading, with 29% reading over ten books a year, followed by Ireland and several Scandinavian countries. In Malta, men are particularly disengaged from reading, with 65% not reading any books in 2022, compared to 47% of women.
This gender gap is common across Europe and is thought to stem from young boys lacking male role models who read.
Younger Maltese are slightly more inclined to read, especially those aged 16 to 24, though the number of readers declines with age, with over 60% of people over 55 not reading at all.
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