Statistical, Ecosystems and Competitiveness Analysis of the Media and Content Industries: The Newspaper Publishing Industry

Statistical, Ecosystems and Competitiveness Analysis of the Media and Content Industries 
34
 
Figure 7: Circulation in % in largest EU publishing markets, China, India, Japan and US in three 
time periods
‐1,8
‐1,1
28,7
12,7
‐6,5
5,2
2,4
1
‐2,8
‐5,9
‐2,1
‐2,1
14
26,5
‐8,5
‐0,5
‐5,5
‐5,8
‐11,4
‐7,7
‐13,3
‐4,2
39,7
10,4
‐12
‐9,8
‐6,7
‐11,4
‐5,7
‐15,9
‐8,3
US
Japan
India
China 
EU‐27
Netherlands
Spain
Italy
France
UK
Germany
1996‐1999
2000‐2004
2005‐2009
Source: TNO based on WAN-IFRA, 2010. 
The total average circulation per day of paid-for-dailies in the EU27 has declined sharply 
between 2005 and 2009. In 2009, total average circulation counted for more than 74 million 
newspapers per day. Compared to 2005 (almost 85 million newspapers), this is a decline of 
approximately 12%. The differences within Europe are large. In Bulgaria, total average 
circulation of paid-for-dailies grew from 558,000 in 2005 to 870,000 newspapers in 2009 – an 
increase of approximately 56%. In Denmark, total average circulation of paid-for-dailies 
declined by approximately 18% (from 1.3 million newspapers in 2005 to 1.1 million 

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The Newspaper Publishing Industry 
35
 
newspapers in 2009). Slovenia lost 31% (430 to 297 thousand) and Romania gained 14% 
(1.09 to 1.24 million) (WAN IFRA, 2010). 
A more specific assessment of declining circulation by the OECD has revealed that in general 
newspapers with a focus on general news show higher circulation losses than more specialised 
newspapers, and local/regional newspapers show higher losses than national newspapers 
(OECD, 2010). In the Slovak Republic, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, The Netherlands, 
Denmark and Poland, the decline in circulation of regional/local newspapers has been the 
strongest.