The Top Book Publishing Countries in Each Region (2022)
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
Despite the rise in other forms of digital entertainment, the book industry is still growing.
The publishing industry is forecasted to grow by $19.37 billion between 2023 to 2028, accelerating at a CAGR of 1.2% during this period, according to Research and Markets.
This graphic visualizes the number of books published by the number of International Standard Book Numbers (ISBN, a unique product identifier for cataloging and tracking book sales) registered in 2022 for the top countries in each global region.
The data comes from the International Publishers Association (IPA) and covers 76 IPA member countries, comprising around 80% of the world’s population.
Which Countries Publish The Most Books in each Region?
Below, we show the top book-publishing countries by region, and how many ISBNs they registered in 2022.
| Region | Country | ISBNs Registered in 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Africa | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 14,392 |
| Africa | 🇹🇳 Tunisia | 3,143 |
| Africa | 🇬🇭 Ghana | 2,000 |
| Asia | 🇯🇵 Japan | 902,311 |
| Asia | 🇰🇷 South Korea | 338,237 |
| Asia | 🇮🇳 India | 281,091 |
| Europe | 🇩🇪 Germany | 277,000 |
| Europe | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 153,167 |
| Europe | 🇮🇹 Italy | 139,970 |
| Latin America and the Caribbean | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 179,042 |
| Latin America and the Caribbean | 🇦🇷 Argentina | 35,500 |
| Latin America and the Caribbean | 🇨🇴 Colombia | 20,840 |
| North America | 🇺🇸 United States | 3,279,217 |
| North America | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 27,534 |
| North America | 🇨🇦 Canada | 21,105 |
| Oceania | 🇦🇺 Australia | 31,708 |
| Oceania | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 2,475 |
The United States is by far the world’s largest book market, registering nearly four times as many ISBNs as second-place Japan in 2022.
The U.S. is also home to the largest publishers in the world. Penguin Random House (PRH), Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster are known as the Big Five in the publishing world.
According to WordsRated, the Big Five control over 80% of the trade book market in the United States as of 2022.
South Korea has the highest number of publishers among the surveyed countries, with 75,324 publishers in the country. In 2023, a notable trend in the Korean publishing market was the surge in popularity of self-help books.
According to Kyobo Bookstore, Korea’s largest book retailer, self-help titles dominated the charts, claiming the top three bestsellers and 15 spots within the top 100.
Learn More on the Voronoi App 
To learn more about the book publishing industry, check out this graphic that shows physical versus e-book sales by country.
