In Mexico there is a downward trend in the Reading levels; especially of printed materials. In the last decade the percentage of literate population that reads has been reduced by about 15 points.
Despite this, still 69.6% of the literacy population is considered a reader of at least one type of material, according to figures from the 2024 reading module of INEGI (National Institute of Statistics and Geography).
In gender breakdown there is a slight gap: while 69.3% of women read, for men the figure scale at 69.9 percent.
For its part, among age groups it is observed that, in Mexico, the youngest population is the one with higher levels of reading. This can be related to the availability of free time and reading related to the school environment.
Books, still most consumed
Reading levels and habits have changed significantly in the last 10 years; especially for the digitalization of society.
The cut of 2024 shows that the books remain the main reading material of Mexicans. 41.2% of the readers consume this material, either in printed formats or in digital formats.
The Mexican readers also recorded an average of 3.2 books read in the year. The main reason that reads in Mexico is for entertainment purposes; Although it was also mentioned that, for school or academic reasons, as well as by general culture.
The genre of books most read by the population was literature: 4 out of 10 belong to this item. He followed the reading of self -help books, personal or religious overcoming; and some subject or profession, text or university use.
Other reading materials
For their part, printed news and information materials have been almost forgotten. Only 21.7% of the people who read magazines And just 17.8% read newspapers.
In contrast, digital native materials, such as blogs or web forums, have positioned themselves as the second type of reading material more consulted by the Mexican population: 39.4% claimed to read daily in these spaces.
Although Mexico still retains readers; Another of the trends observed in their habits is that the average time they dedicate to each session has been reduced and that their understanding is not total.
For women the average is 36 minutes of reading per session; while for men it is 42 minutes.
In terms of reading comprehension, 58.0% of the readers and 60.0% of the readers claimed to understand everything they read. This reflects that about 4 out of 10 people who have the habit of reading have half or low reading comprehension.
Benefits of reading
Reading is a fundamental tool for integral development of people. According to the INEGI reading module, reading strengthens cognitive skills such as concentration, understanding and memory, in addition to enriching vocabulary and verbal and written expression.
For its part, UNICEF highlights that reading in children from an early age promotes its linguistic, emotional and social development. Reading in childhood not only improves the understanding of language, but also encourages creativity and affective links.
For its part, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), through the Student International Evaluation Program (PISA), has evidenced that 15 -year -old students who regularly read, especially extensive books, have a higher academic performance, equivalent to an additional school year in reading comprehension.
This habit also improves the ability to distinguish between facts and opinionsand to integrate information from various sources, fundamental skills in the context of digitalization, viralization and excess stimuli.
For adults also has important benefits, the University of Sussex conducted an investigation where it was found that reading can significantly reduce stress; due to brain connections that produce a rest of personal contexts.
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