The crisis in print newspapers is reaching emerging countries.

Press Observatory - For years it was thought that the growth in the number of newspaper readers in emerging economies, such as the BRICS and the "Next 11", was compensating for the decline in press circulation in developed countries.

Statistics show that this is no longer true. Data from the International Circulation Audit Bureau (IFABC) shows that this trend ended in 2011. Now, print newspaper circulation is declining in almost all major economies.

IFABC members in 23 countries sold 123,5 million newspapers per month in 2011, almost 2 million fewer than in 2010, a drop of 1,6%. Almost all countries included in the statistics reported a decline, with the exception of Belgium, Brazil, the USA and Malaysia, where the increase was only 0,08%, about 3 newspapers.

The countries with the largest drop in circulation between 2010 and 2011 were:

Roménia

Three newspapers saw their circulation drop by more than 40%, and another five suffered a 20% drop. Only one newspaper experienced a drop of less than 10%. In total, circulation fell by 28%.

Spain

The second, third, and fourth largest newspapers suffered a drop in circulation of more than 10%, while the overall decline was 7,8%. The country's largest newspaper, El País, saw its circulation fall by only 1,3%.

República REPUBLIC

Total circulation fell by 8,7% each year. The decline affected all newspapers in the country, and none suffered a drop of less than 5%.
The drop in circulation of Spanish newspapers was already expected, since the country is suffering from the European financial crisis, which will likely also impact Romania and Serbia.

India and China

But perhaps most worrying for the global future of newspapers is the fact that China suffered the fifth largest drop in circulation among the countries surveyed. Newspaper circulation in the country decreased by more than half a million between 2010 and 2011.

This is the opposite of what has happened in recent years. Between 2008 and 2009, three of the five Chinese newspapers participating in IFABC saw their circulation increase, with all five newspapers experiencing growth of more than 33 copies.

Another worrying trend is occurring in India. Between 2008 and 2011, Indian newspapers saw an increase of 3,9 million copies, expanding the country's total circulation to 30,5 million. However, looking at newspaper circulation between 2010 and 2011, we see the first decline since 2008. Although this is a drop of only 220 copies, it masks serious volatility. The Dainik Bhaskar newspaper halved its circulation, cutting more than 1 million copies. It seems that the growth of the Indian press has stalled.

Other cases:

United States

The increase in circulation in the United States is encouraging, but it is not indicative of the entire country. The total gain for the three IFABC member newspapers was 116 copies, a 3,2% increase between 2010 and 2011, with the New York Times contributing an increase of 119 copies. Meanwhile, the drop of 33 copies for the Washington Post completely cancels out the 30 increase for the Wall Street Journal.

However, when comparing circulation figures from 2008 to 2011, even the growth of the New York Times cannot disguise the drop of 57 copies between those three years.

Brazil

Brazil has an even more complex picture because of its fragmented industry. There are 73 Brazilian newspapers reporting to IFABC, many of which are merely regional variations of the same newspaper, and the publication with the largest circulation does not exceed 300. Total circulation in the country grew by 3,5%.

Between 2010 and 2011, 44 of these newspapers reported varying rates of increase in circulation, while the rest recorded varying rates of decline.

It is difficult to pinpoint the exact causes for the global decline in newspaper consumption. The most plausible cause in both developed and developing economies is the increased access to the internet and the use of smartphones. In emerging markets, smartphones are expanding internet access for the population. This suggests that, internationally, the impact of mobile technology is accelerating the decline in print newspaper readership.