READING seems to be a dying habit these days, especially among the younger generation, due to the prevalence of smartphones and tablets, despite access to digital reading platforms.
Even with concerted efforts to cultivate a local reading culture in Malaysia, fostering this habit remains an uphill battle.
A report from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Institute of Statistics shows the country’s current literacy rate standing at 94.64%.
Meanwhile, a World Bank report states that only 58% of students in Malaysia are proficient in reading by the age of 10, which is worse than their Southeast Asian peers.
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Recently, Malaysia was ranked sixth for the number of books read in Southeast Asia, while globally, the country came in 37th place with an average of 5.47 books read in only 122 hours annually.
Singapore takes the top spot with 6.72 books read in 155 hours per year, while Thailand emerged runners-up with 6.37 books read in 149 hours annually.
Other Southeast Asian countries included are Indonesia (5.91 books read, 129 hours), the Philippines (5.59 books read, 123 hours), Vietnam (5.54 books read, 123 hours), Cambodia (3.52 books read, 78 hours), and Brunei (2.59 books read, 60 hours).
The ranking, done by CEOWORLD was based on interviews with over 6,500,000 respondents from 102 countries.
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In terms of worldwide rankings, the United States comes in first place with 17 books read in 357 hours per year, followed by India with 16 books read in 352 hours, and the United Kingdom in third place with 15 books read in 343 hours.
“Both Americans and Indians continue to favor paper books over e-books or audiobooks, despite the growing trend toward electronic media,” the study stated.
Countries that ranked last are Pakistan, with only 2.6 books read in 60 hours per year, and Afghanistan, with 2.58 books read in 58 hours per year.
