From classic fiction to mysteries, the ever-rising popularity of books means readers are able to dive into more enticing page-turners than ever before – with global book sales expected to exceed 129 billion USD by 2023. Still, the impending question lingers – which cities are home to the biggest booklovers?
Interested to find out, TheKnowledgeAcademy.com identified the number of libraries and bookshops across European capital cities using Openstreetmap’s API Overpass; as well as Eurostat expenditure on newspapers, books and stationery to create a final aggregated score revealing the best and worst cities to be a bookworm.
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https://www.theknowledgeacademy.com/blog/the-best-capital-cities-in-the-world-for-book-lovers/
Top 10 best European cities to be a bookworm
| Rank | City | Country |
Library score (/10) |
Bookshop score (/10) | Eurostat expenditure on newspapers, books, and stationery score (/10) | Overall bookish score (out of 10) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zürich* | Switzerland | 9.68 | 9.06 | – | 9.37 |
| 2 | Luxembourg | Luxembourg | 9.37 | 9.68 | 8.84 | 9.30 |
| 3 | Bratislava | Slovakia | 10 | 9.37 | 5.76 | 8.38 |
| 4 | Reykjavík | Iceland | 6.56 | 8.43 | 9.61 | 8.20 |
| 5 | Chisinau | Moldova | 7.18 | 8.75 | – | 7.97 |
| 6 | Vienna | Austria | 7.50 | 6.87 | 8.07 | 7.48 |
| 7 | Helsinki | Finland | 7.81 | 5.93 | 8.46 | 7.40 |
| 8 | Paris | France | 5.62 | 10 | 5.76 | 7.13 |
| 9 | Warsaw | Poland | 9.06 | 6.56 | 3.84 | 6.49 |
| 10 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | 3.43 | 7.50 | 7.69 | 6.21 |
| *Note: for Switzerland, its capital Bern was changed to Zurich due to it being a denser area, more akin to a true capital. | ||||||
Please find the full breakdown of results and complete list of European cities analysed in the data sheet.
Warsaw among Europe’s best capital cities for booklovers
Poland’s capital, Warsaw, placed ninth overall in the study with a final score of 6.49/10. Warsaw’s score peaked for its libraries (9.06/10) but scored disappointingly lower in expenditures (3.84/10). Nevertheless, it still secured its spot within the top 10.
TheKnowledgeAcademy.com can also reveal that the best European city for booklovers is Zürich, Switzerland – boasting the highest overall score (9.37/10). With its almost perfect library score (9.68/10) bumping the city to first place, book-obsessed Swiss readers will be glad to know that it also secured a high score for its bookshops (9.06/10).
Subsequently, Luxembourg followed in second place with a final bookish score of 9.30/10 – only a mere 7% less than Zürich in first. Luxembourg earned an impressive score across all categories – 9.68/10 for its bookshops, libraries (9.37/10) and expenditure (8.84/10), securing its rightfully high score.
Following in third is Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava, which achieved a stellar 8.38/10. Despite earning just above a median score of 5.76/10 from expenditures, Bratislava earned a perfect score from its libraries (10/10) and an equally high score of 9.37/10 for its bookshops.
Top five worst European cities to be a bookworm
| Rank | City | Country |
Library score (/10) |
Bookshop score (/10) | Eurostat expenditure on newspapers, books, and stationery score (/10) | Overall bookish score (out of 10) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Skopje | North Macedonia | 0.31 | 0.31 | – | 0.31 |
| 2 | Bucharest | Romania | 2.18 | 0.62 | 0.76 | 1.19 |
| 3 | Belgrade | Serbia | 1.56 | 3.75 | 0 | 1.77 |
| 4 | Madrid | Spain | 0.93 | 3.43 | 2.30 | 2.22 |
| 5 | Minsk | Belarus | 3.12 | 1.56 | – | 2.34 |
Please find the full breakdown of results and complete list of European cities analysed in the data sheet.
Out of all the cities analysed for the study, TheKnowledgeAcademy.com can also reveal that the worst European city for booklovers is Skopje, North Macedonia which earned a final bookish score of 0.31/10, as it tallied the same underwhelming scores for both its libraries and bookshop (0.31/10).
All Inclusive
Luksusowy kwartalnik turystyczno-podróżniczy. Od 2004 roku opisujemy miejsca, do których warto lecieć dłużej niż na weekend, i ludzi, którzy je prowadzą.
