The 4th edition of BOOK 2.0 – The Future of Reading opened on Tuesday, 15 September, at Centro Cultural de Belém, with the presentation of the latest findings from the “Book Buying and Reading Habits in Portugal” study, developed by Nielsen | GfK and presented by APEL – the Portuguese Publishers and Booksellers Association.
The results show a positive trend in reading: 78% of Portuguese people aged 15 and over say they read at least one book in 2025, the highest figure recorded in the past three years. The publishing market also continues to grow, reaching €218 million in 2025, 17% above 2023 levels.
The data also highlights several challenges. Only 62% of Portuguese people bought books in the past year, while 18% say they read books without buying them, and reading continues to compete with other forms of entertainment and content consumption. The study therefore reinforces the need to make reading and literacy national priorities.
Under the motto “Back to Basics. Back to Books.”, the first day of BOOK 2.0 explored different perspectives on the present and future of reading. Markus Dohle, Emma House, Erin Cox, Alessandra Carra, Joan Tarrida, Rebecca Jones, Vincent Phan and David Hayman took to the stage to discuss topics ranging from the enduring power of books and the development of national reading ecosystems to the evolution of the publishing industry, the reinvention of libraries and the need to make reading a national priority.
During the afternoon, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Andrés Allamand, Cara Hunter, Adolfo Mesquita Nunes, José Manuel Fernandes, Manuel Sans Segarra, Luís Portela, Mário Augusto and Joel Halldorf broadened the conversation to attention, democracy, violence and young people, science, spirituality, and the importance of long-form reading in a world increasingly competing for our attention.
BOOK 2.0 continues tomorrow, 16 September, at CCB, with a second day dedicated to education, creativity, culture, digital transformation, artificial intelligence and new ways of bringing readers closer to books.
Read the full press release with the results of the “Book Buying and Reading Habits in Portugal” study here.