In a statement released by APEL on the opening day of the fourth edition of the Book 2.0 event in Lisbon, it is indicated that the list of activities for occupying free time is headed by socialising with friends (91%), followed by social media (85%), with cinema and audiovisual streaming in third place (75%) and sports next (66%). Reading for leisure ranks next, at 62%.

Main obstacles

According to the same text, among those who do not read, "lack of interest is the main obstacle (43%), followed by lack of time (38%) and preference for other activities (33%)."

In the statement, APEL highlights that "the results reinforce the need for Portugal to assume reading and literacy as national priorities," recalling that "the book is an essential tool for citizenship, critical thinking, human development, access to knowledge, and democratic participation."

Reading habits

According to the results of the research – conducted by GfK through interviews with 1,000 people over the age of 15 – 78% of respondents say they will have read at least one book in 2025, the highest figure in the last three years, but 62% said they bought at least one book last year, down from 65% in 2023.

According to the research, the average number of books per buyer also continues to fall, from 7.5 in 2023 to 7 in 2024, and now 6.9 in 2025, something that also happens with books for gifts.

"The results suggest that the sector's growth observed from the evolution of the retail panel has not translated into a widespread intensification of book consumption by Portuguese families," the statement reads.

Book sales

In 2025, book sales in Portugal grew by 6.9% compared to the previous year, which translated into a total of almost 15 million books sold, an increase largely driven by colouring and children's books, according to data released by APEL in January.

However, in the second quarter of this year, book sales fell by almost 2%, compared to the same period in 2025, registering the first drop since the pandemic, despite coinciding with the Lisbon Book Fair.

Reading without buying

Data from research released by the industry association also indicates that nearly one in five Brazilians read without buying, "which points to the growing importance of access methods such as borrowing, libraries, supply, digital and other forms of book circulation that require the sector to better understand how the expansion of reading can also contribute to the sustainability of the book value chain."

Even so, APEL points out that, among those who consider themselves digital readers, more than two-thirds resort to free content, which can range from cloud storage platforms to networks such as WhatsApp and Telegram.

“These channels can include legitimate uses – such as authorised loans, open access works, or personal file sharing – but they are also compatible with the illegal and unauthorised sharing of content. Understanding this phenomenon is essential to protect authors, publishers, booksellers, and all professionals who are part of the book supply chain, as well as to understand the extent to which the expansion of digital reading occurs through legal offerings or the circulation of content outside of commercial channels,” the association added.