Cyprus had the second-lowest percentage of people reading books in the European Union, with only 33.1 per cent of the population engaging in the activity, according to a Eurostat survey published for 2022.

The survey, released earlier this month, highlighted that Luxembourg had the highest share of readers among EU countries, with 75.2 per cent of people having read books in the 12 months prior to the survey. Denmark followed with 72.1 per cent, and Estonia with 70.7 per cent.

In stark contrast, Romania reported the lowest percentage, with just 29.5 per cent of its population reading books during the same period. Cyprus closely followed with 33.1 per cent and Italy with 35.4 per cent.

Specifically, 21.3 per cent in Cyprus read less than five books, while 7.1 per cent read five to nine books in a year.

Those who read more than ten books or more in 12 months amounted to 4.7 per cent, compared to the EU average of 13.8 per cent.

The figures also revealed younger people and women in the EU read more books.