By Uxia Perez
Bangkok, May 7 (EFE).- The Asia-Pacific region is the largest publishing market in the world and also the fastest growing one, driven by increasing literacy rates, digitalization and the expansion of English as a second language, which has given rise to an unprecedented growth in the readership base and a demand for books.
In 2024, the region consolidated its industry leadership with estimated revenues of between $400-420 billion, between print and digital book earnings, although paper still holds a dominant position, accounting for around 60 percent of this market, according to a report this year from the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations.
Asia-Pacific is home to established markets such as Japan, Australia and South Korea, which in turn coexist with fast-growing economies such as Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines.
However, a significant chunk of these figures come from China and India, the two most populous countries on the planet – with more than 1.4 billion inhabitants each -, which in recent years have strengthened their public policies for the promotion of reading.
Since February, China has incorporated reading into its state legislation, with a new measure aimed at reinforcing cultural habits that, according to the official newspaper China Daily, will include expanding library hours, improvements in reading rooms and increased funding and planning for the industry.
The uptick comes after two decades of state policies in this direction, which have greatly stimulated the country’s cultural indicators, as the overall reading rate in China reached 82.1 percent in 2024 compared to 51.7 percent in 2004, according to data from the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication.
The boom is also reflected in the success of authors such as Liu Cixin and his trilogy ‘The Three-Body Problem’, which has brought national science fiction to bookstores around the world, and figures such as the Nobel prize winner Mo Yan, whose works currently form the fundamental pillars in the renovated reading rooms of the country.
In Japan, manga has been a literary expression deeply integrated into the country’s creative fabric for decades, to the point of becoming a crucial part of its soft power.
Economic impact accompanies this cultural dimension. The Meiji Yasuda Research Institute estimates that purchases of manga-related products reached 54.3 billion yen (about $372 million) in 2024, up 53 percent from a decade ago.
The manga is also responsible for greater tourism interest in some parts of the country, with travelers who include in their itineraries places such as the Homangu Kamado Shrine in Fukuoka, following the widespread popularity of the ‘Demon Slayer’ series.
In India, the publishing sector is dominated by educational books, which, according to data from the International Publishers Association, is explained by the rise in literacy and by a young population that sustains high academic demand.
The sub-continent is also the world’s second largest publishing market in English, with growth that has been accompanied by greater linguistic diversity, with publications in Hindi, Bengali, Telugu and other regional languages.
This dynamic is also reflected in his contemporary literature, with works such as ‘Tomb of Sand’ by Geetanjali Shree, as well as books by Arundhati Roy, among others, which show the growing international projection of Indian literature.
In Southeast Asia, the growth of digital consumption is reconfiguring reading habits, with platforms such as Wattpad and Webnovel, widespread in the region.
In these platforms, Philippine stories like ‘She’s Dating the Gangster’ and ‘I Love You Since 1892’ accumulated millions of online readings before reaching the traditional publishing circuit.
In Thailand, the forefront of digital publishing is reflected in the rise of ‘boy’s love’ or ‘girl’s love’, focused on gay love relationships, which have gone from being a niche in digital forums to becoming a powerful cultural export industry, visible at fairs such as Bangkok, which gathered more than 1.3 million visitors in its latest edition, according to the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand. EFE
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