Bahrain ranks ninth in reading interest

Manama : Bahrain came ninth in a study on the time MENA region residents spent on reading books.

Bahrain received a score of 58 per cent in the Arab Reading Index, produced through a partnership between Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation (MBRF) and the United Nations Development Programme / Regional Bureau for Arab States (UNDP/RBAS). 

With a score of 82pc, UAE came top in the GCC, while ranking fourth overall. 

Lebanon, Egypt and Morroco were the top countries in the index. Reading practices of more than 145,000 residents from 22 Arab countries were the basis of the study. 

However the findings of the Arab Reading Index strongly contradict the results published in previous indexes and refute claims of a “reading crisis” facing the Arab world, said researchers. 

“In fact, current results showed a remarkable level of interest in reading among Arab people, as far as the extent of reading pillar was concerned,” according to the study. “The average number of reading hours per year varied between 7.78 hours in Somalia to 63.85 hours in Egypt, with an Arab average of 35.24 hours per year. The average number of books read per year varied between 1.74 and 28.67, with an Arab average of 16.08 books per year.”

The number of books read per year in Bahrain was well above the average of Arab countries as well as GCC countries except Kuwait. The survey revealed that e-books were more read that printed ones. “The comparison between the time spent reading printed versus electronic books and documents shows a higher average for the latter (19.45 hours per year) compared to the former (16.03 hours per year),” the report said. 

“This is not surprising, given the widespread information and communication technologies (ICT) and the emergence of reading alternatives that are more attractive than contents available in print. 

According to a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers, e-book sales will outnumber print book sales by 2018. 

Also a recent survey indicates that the percentage of people who read e-books has reached 11 in the UAE, 9.1 in Saudi Arabia, 7.6 in Qatar, 6 in Bahrain, 6 in Lebanon, 5.6 in Morocco, 5.5 in Oman, 5 in Egypt, 4.5 in Algeria, 4.1 in Jordan, and 3 in Sudan. This is confirmed by a UNESCO study.