Reading a book is like accessing a whole new world – one where you can let your imagination run wild with all the possibilities that the written word offers. With changes to our social lives in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, you might be spending more time at home – so why not make the most of it? Expand your horizons and learn something new by picking up a book!
The price of books in the EU is growing more slowly than total consumer prices, as measured by the monthly Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP). Between June 2011 and June 2021, the price of books increased by 12%, compared with 14% for total consumer prices.
Data on the prices of different genres of books are available from December 2016. The price of books in general has risen by 4% from December 2016 to June 2021, with the price of e-book downloads (and binding services) rising by 12%. The price of fiction books was also up nearly 6% in this period. In contrast, the price of educational textbooks has fallen by almost 2%.
Data source: prc_hicp_midx
In 2020, exports of printed books to countries outside the EU amounted to €1.7 billion and the corresponding imports to almost €1.5 billion.
Over the last decade, the exports and imports of books to countries outside the EU remained fairly stable without significant fluctuations. 2010 and 2020 revealed the same level for both exports (€1.7 billion) and imports (€1.5 billion). Compared with 2019, there was a decrease in 2020 of 12% for exports and 6% for imports.
The main EU countries exporting and importing books in 2020 were Germany, which exported books for €535 million and imported for €284 million, France, which exported books for €291 million and imported for €220 million, and Spain, which exported books for €183 million and imported for €147 million.
Data source: DS-645593
In 2020, €4.6 billion worth of printed books were sold in the EU. Compared with 2008, there was a decrease of 35% from €7.0 billion. When compared with 2019, there was also a decrease of 15% from €5.4 billion.
Data source: DS-066341
For more information:
- Take a look at the overviews of the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), statistics on international trade in goods (ITGS) and statistics on the production of manufactured goods (PRODCOM).
- It should be noted that whereas the international trade statistics record only tangible products crossing borders, the manufacturing statistics (PRODCOM) record industrial printing services. The trade statistics cover printed books, brochures and similar printed matter in one product category, whether or not in single sheets, while manufacturing statistics divide this in two separate product categories.
To contact us, please visit our User Support page.
For press queries, please contact our Media Support.