Book Buying on the Internet

I'm taking a sick day. I feel really, really awful. After I post this, I'm going back to bed to die.

Thanks to Shelf Awareness for pointing me toward a BBC story yesterday.

According to the BBC, "Polling company Nielsen Online surveyed 26,312 people in 48 countries. 41% of internet users had bought books online, it said."

Nielsen Online said "much of the increase was in emerging markets, such as South Korea and India . . ."

Here's Nielsen's breakdown of the top Internet book buyers by country:

1. South Korea - 58%
2. Germany - 55%
3. Austria - 54%
4. Vietnam - 54%
5. Brazil - 51%
6. Egypt - 49%
7. China - 48%
8. India - 46%
9. Taiwan - 45%
10. UK - 45%

That 58% of Internet users for #1 South Korea translates to approximately 18,000,000 people who purchased books. By contrast, compare that to the U.K. where 45% of Internet users is estimated to be 14,500,000 people.

At only 38% of its Internet users buying books, the U.S. didn't make the top ten list--even though that 38% translates to approximately 57,500,000 people.

These results compare to a similar poll done two years ago when 34% of Internet users had purchased books.