On public transportation in Mexico, many people read on their cell phones. Books, comics and even stories written on blogs, others opt for paper, and on the streets you can see a constant flow of visitors at stalls or bookshops. Book fairs also contribute. In 2024, the Guadalajara International Book Fair alone recorded more than 907,000 visitors, of which a fifth were in the children’s area. And, despite the approach of officials such as Paco Ignacio Taibo, head of the Economic Fund for Culture, who has declared that there is a decline in reading among young people, this year eight out of ten Mexicans over the age of 12 say they have read material such as books, blogs or comics. And most young people do it by following the Reading Module presented by Inegi.
Young people outpaced other age groups. Among people who know how to read, between the ages of 12 and 24, almost 90% say they regularly consult some material, while among those aged 60 and over only 66.8% of those interviewed do so.
2025 is the first year in which the number of book readers increases compared to 2021. 45.4% of citizens over 18 feel close to reading, even if the record number was that of 2015, when 48.5% of the population recognized that they read.
Abril G. Karera, reading mediator and general director of the civil association LibrosB4Tipos, observes that the survey proposes other types of reading as valid materials for readers, since in this way more people can consider themselves part of the community. This is also the first year in which adolescents between 12 and 17 years old are consulted, as well as taking into account what they read on social networks.
Among reading materials, the clear winners of the survey are books. 79% of readers choose them, followed by internet pages. Seven in 10 read more than one type of product, while the 25 to 39 year old group is considered the most diverse in the way they read, accepting between four and five different types of materials.
The youngest, who are between 12 and 24 years old, prefer literature, in over 50% of cases, followed by books that refer to their profession or a specific topic. Those over 40 opt more for self-help, self-improvement or religious books. Both literature and self-improvement books are usually chosen based on taste, and seven in 10 respondents say they enjoy reading. For example, among the most purchased books on Amazon Mexico are self-improvement books. The man in search of meaningby Viktor Frankl e Atomic habitsby James Clear, along with the novel The midnight libraryby Matt Haig.
32.9% of people consulted by Inegi say they have read four or more copies in the last year, 81% of the time on paper. The most frequent readers prefer to buy them new, while the others buy them as gifts or loans. Only in just over 20% of cases do they download them for free. On average, the population dedicates an hour to this activity. At least 49% did it once a week, 24% every day.
The timid return of magazines and newspapers
Magazines have also taken off again: 23.6% of the adult population says they read them, even if 38% spend between 16 and 30 minutes on them. General knowledge topics are the most consulted, followed by health and specialist topics.
Newspapers bounced in this survey. 20% of the population says they consult it, after a constant decline since 2017. The news has found its greatest followers among people between 25 and 39 years old, who read it in 37% of cases and the most chosen topics are politics and economics. 56% did it in digital format and more than half downloaded it for free. Only 28% said they had purchased. Four out of 10 readers choose to read them two to four days a week and their audience is predominantly male, who spend up to half an hour reviewing them.
A different reading
Karera points out that, as a mediator of reading, one of the most complex issues is for people to remove preconceptions about what reading entails, such as that information must be memorized or that only certain books are valid to be considered reading. Among the products that some people do not take as valid reading are comics or comics, as well as publications on networks or blogs. Another favorite on Amazon’s shopping list is the manga by The chainsaw man by Tatsuki Fujimoto. These products work as part of reading circles, as well as an approach to different arts, such as drawing or painting.
Among comics readers, 40% of young people between the ages of 12 and 24 use this material and men are the largest users. Five in 10 do it daily or at least once a week. When it comes to internet pages, forums or blogs, the largest readers are between 25 and 39 years old and 40% visit them every day.
The general director of LibrosB4Tipos says he has also seen a growth in the publication of texts on social networks, such as novels adapted by fans, called fan fiction. Using their Facebook or X accounts, their editors and followers don’t need a defined blog or page to read them, but rather use their own platforms. More than 90% of people aged 12 to 39 say they read on social networks, which Karera appreciates because it is already considered in the survey as part of the reading material.
Among people who say they read, 64.4% found their first impulse at home, with the presence of reading materials other than textbooks at home, followed by the example of their parents, who also read.
