The book market grew by 16% in Portugal in 2022 compared to the previous year, according to data made available to the Observer by Gfk Portugal. In units, this is an increase of 13%.

In total, in 2022, 12,725,898 books were sold, which corresponds to 175,017,322 euros. The children’s and youth genre was the one that sold the most in terms of units, representing 34% of national sales. It was followed by nonfiction, with 32%, and fiction, with 31%.

January and February were the months in which more books were sold compared to the previous year (954,091 and 808,282 units, respectively, which corresponds to a variation of 84% and 35%). In August and September, months of the Lisbon Book Fair, one of the strongest periods for book sales in Portugal, the increase was only 10% and 5%, respectively, in terms of units. In these two months, 1,972,845 books were sold.

December was also below the first months of last year in terms of growth, with an increase of 6%. However, it was the period in which the most books were sold in Portugal in 2022: 12,725,898 units. In the previous month, November, there was a decrease (-1%), with 1,110,940 books sold.

Bookstores continue to be the preferred place to buy books, with 69% of the units purchased in these establishments. Percentage includes bookstore sales online. Hypermarkets concentrated 31% of purchases.

Average book price increased 3% in 2022. Values ​​may continue to rise in 2023

The rise in raw materials, triggered first by the Covid-19 pandemic and then by the war in Ukraine, led some publishers, in Portugal and elsewhere, to choose to increase book prices. In the Portuguese market, this was reflected in a 3% increase in 2022 compared to the previous year.

According to data from the market research company, in 2022 a non-fiction book cost, on average, 16.3 euros. The average price of a fiction book was slightly lower, 15.6 euros. Children’s books cost less: on average, 10.6 euros.

The situation is expected to repeat itself in 2023. In addition to the increase in the price of paper, inflation has made production, transportation, and labor costs more expensive. All in all, it is very likely that the price of books will rise again this year.

Gfk audits sales to the final consumer, based on a representative sample of the Portuguese market, made up mainly of large distribution (specialized and non-specialized). The study has an estimated coverage of 85% of the book market in Portugal.