Global newspaper sales rose 2.3% in 2006, India grew 13 %

Global newspaper sales rose 2.3 per cent last year, as readership increased in Asia, Europe, Africa and South America, an industry association said.

India, the world's second-largest market for newspapers after China, recorded one of the fastest growth rates of 12.93 per cent in sales during 2006 and 53.63 per cent over the past five years, the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) said today.

More than 515 million newspapers were sold and 40.7 million distributed free, daily in 2006, the Paris-based WANsaid in a report released at the World Newspaper Congress in Cape Town, South Africa, today.

"Newspapers in developing markets continue to increase circulation by leaps and bounds, and in mature markets are showing remarkable resilience against the onslaught of digital media,'' said Timothy Balding, the grouping's chief executive officer.

He added that even in many developed countries the industry was maintaining or even increasing sales

Paid-for dailies boosted their advertising revenue by 3.8 per cent last year, bringing gains over the past five years to 15.8 per cent, the association said.