- Global newspaper circulation up 9.95 percent over five years and 2.36
percent over twelve months
- Daily newspaper titles surpass 10,000 for first time in history
- More than 450 million copies sold daily
- In excess of 1.4 billion paid-newspaper readers
- Total free daily circulation more than doubles in five years, from 12 million copies in 2001 to 28 million in 2005

"What we are seeing completely contradicts the conventional wisdom that newspapers are in terminal decline," said Timothy Balding, CEO of the Paris-based WAN.

"Newspapers are doing far better than commonly believed. In fact, the figures confirm that the industry is healthy and vigorous and is successfully dealing with increasing competition from other media.”

This may be true for newspapers globally, but what about the figures in tougher markets – those supposedly in ‘terminal decline’ – such as paid-for dailies in Europe and North America?

-Combined paid-for and free newspaper circulation increased 14.24% in the five years to 2005, and 3.31% over one year. The number of titles rose 15.86% over five years.

Apart from newspapers’ core figures, such as circulation and number of titles, the growing vitality of the newspaper industry as a whole is reflected by its weight on global economy and human resources.

Newspapers represent a nearly 180-billion-dollar industry worldwide, with more advertising revenues than radio, outdoor, cinema, magazines and the internet combined. More than 6 billion euros has been invested in newspaper technology in the past five years, and the industry employs nearly two million people world-wide.

Source: World Association of Newspapers