Cultural statistics. Books, newspapers and periodicals, 1997:

Sharp increase in circulation numbers for Norwegian trade press

---

Statistics on books, newspapers and periodicals show that the circulation figures for the Norwegian trade press have increased sharply in the past two years. The biggest growth has occurred in the subject group that includes retail and wholesale trade, hotels, and food service, with an increase of 34 per cent from 1995 to 1997.

---

The trade press had a combined circulation of nearly 7.5 million copies in 1997. The increase in the circulation from 1995 to 1996 was almost 490,000 copies while the increase in the circulation from 1996 to 1997 was nearly 900,000 copies. Trade publications covering recreational, cultural and non-profit activities made up the largest subject group in 1997.

By comparison, daily newspapers had a combined circulation of 3.7 million copies. Norway had 159 daily newspapers in 1997. The circulation figures show a decline of 9,000 copies from 1996 to 1997, but an increase of 100,000 copies, or just about three per cent for 1993-1997. In 1997, 64 newspapers were published six times a week. Few newspapers published Sunday editions.

Almost 5,500 books and 750 booklets and pamphlets were published in 1997. The overall number of published books and booklets declined by 700 compared to the year before. The statistics cover the year the books and booklets are registered at the University Library, and this does not always coincide with the production year.

The weekly press had a combined net circulation of just about 2.8 million copies per week in 1997. Circulation figures rose almost 245,000, or almost 10 per cent compared to the year before.

New Statistics

Cultural statistics. Books, newspapers and periodicals, 1997.
Statistics are published every year in the Weekly Bulletin of Statistics. For more information, contact: vera.thrane@ssb.no, tel. +47 62 88 52 57 or thorstein.ouren@ssb.no, tel. +47 62 88 52 71.

Weekly Bulletin issue no. 24, 1998