What is the Current State of the Top Newspapers in the World?
The top 10 newspapers in the world are innovating in an industry going through an immense transformation. Newspaper content has shifted from physical distribution of newspapers to digital content and some of the best newspapers in the world have changed the way they target their audience following the transformation of the newspaper landscape. News Corporation is the largest overall newspaper publishing company generating over USD 9 billion annually. News Corp assets include The Wall Street Journal, The Sun and The Times, and many more newspapers.
This is BizVibe’s list of the top newspapers in the world as of 2020, and how they are changing their strategy in 2020 in the face of industry evolution. This post will also assist readers interested in gaining insights into the global newspaper industry including:
- Discover what are the best newspapers in the world in 2020?
- How many newspapers are in the USA?
- How many newspapers are published in the world?
- Newspaper industry statistics and trends you should know.
- Connect with the top newspaper publishing companies on a B2B level.
BizVibe’s platform help businesses discover, track, evaluate, and connect with hundreds of thousands of newspaper publishing companies, including the top companies such as News Corp, USA Today, and more. For each company profile, users can access best-in-class supplier intelligence highlighting key products and services, risk of doing business, industry opportunities, key executive information, competitor insights, and much more.
Global Newspaper Industry Overview
Newspapers are starting to shift from traditional media to online publications. In 2020, the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun was the top newspaper in the world going by daily circulation, while USA Today was the largest newspaper in the USA. In general, newspaper circulation has declined to its lowest amount since the 1940s. To combat this decline in physical sales, the top newspapers in the world are shifting toward mediums online for distribution as trends like 63 million adults access newspaper content on tablets and other readers continue to shape the way in viewership trends.
Top Newspaper Industry Statistics and Trends
- More than 124 million U.S. adults, or more than 6 out of 10, read newspaper media each week.
- 63 million adults access newspaper content on their smartphone or tablet.
- Nine out of ten newspaper readers (91%) report that they take action after reading or looking at inserts.
- Seven in ten adults 18 and older cite the newspaper as their preferred source for coupons.
- As of 2014, the United States had 1,331 daily newspapers.
- 6 million units of print newspapers are sold globally each day.
Ranking the Top 10 Newspapers in the World in 2020
The top 10 newspapers in the world have been dominating the market for generations and are expected to keep growing as attention shifts to online distribution. The following companies are the most recognized names in the newspaper industry. This is BizVibe’s list of the top newspapers in the world in 2020 ranked by circulation, popularity, online distribution, and physical distribution.
1. USA Today
What is the best newspaper to read? That’s a subjective question that is hard to answer. However, by circulation in the thousands — USA Today is the most circulated newspaper in the USA with more than 4,139 average circulation (thousands). USA Today is an internationally distributed American daily middle-market newspaper and is printed in over 37 sites across the USA. USA Today ranks first in circulation in the USA with a weekly print circulation of 726,906. USA Today also has a digital-only subscriber base of 504,000, and daily readers of 2.6 million. Due to its stellar circulation and being one of the most famous newspapers, USA Today ranks number 1 on BizVibe’s list of the top 10 newspapers in the world in 2020.
- Founded: 1982
- USA Today Headquarters: McLean, Virginia, USA
- USA Today Average Circulation: 4,139
- USA Today Daily Readers: 2.6 million
2. The Guardian
The Guardian ranks number 2 on our list of the top newspapers in the world in 2020. The Guardian is a British daily newspaper that was founded in 1821 in London, UK. The Guardian used to be called The Machester Guardian in the past and currently receives average daily readers of about 1.03 million with 126,879 in daily newspapers circulated.
- Founded: 1821
- The Guardian Headquarters: London, UK
- The Guardian Daily Circulation: 126,879
- The Guardian Daily Readers: 1.03 million
3. The New York Times
Ranking 3rd on our list of the best newspapers in the world is The New York Times, an American newspaper based in New York City with worldwide influence and readership. The New York Times was founded in 1851 and has won over 130 Pulitzer Prizes making it also one of the most prestigious newspapers in the world. In terms of circulation, The New York Times ranks 3rd in the USA in daily circulation and is one of the most famous daily newspapers in the world. With an estimated 4.3 million daily readers, The New York Times is one of the largest newspapers in the world in 2020.
- Founded: 1851
- NYT Headquarters: New York City, New York, USA
- NYT Today Average Circulation: 2,134
- NYT Today Daily Readers: 4.3 million
4. The Wall Street Journal
The Wal Street Journal ranks 4th on this list of the top 10 newspapers in the world in 2020. The Wall Street Journal — commonly referred to as The Journal in the USA — is an American business-focused, English-language international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. Including digital editions, The Wall Street Journal is the most circulated newspaper in the world daily (2,834,000). The Wall Street Journal is one of the top newspapers in the world and the most circulated newspapers in the USA.
- Founded: 1889
- WSJ Headquarters: New York City, New York, USA
- WSJ Today Daily Circulation: 2,834,000
5. The Washington Post
The Washington Post is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and ranks number 5 on this list of the top newspapers in the world in 2020. The Washington Post is a major American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. The company was for a long time controlled by the Graham family who sold it to Nash Holdings, a holdings company established by Jeff Bezos for USD 250 million in cash. The Washington Post has a daily circulation of 356,768 for its traditional edition of newspapers and close to 1 million readers for daily digital editions.
- Founded: 1877
- The Washington Post Headquarters: Washington, D.C., USA
- The Washington Post Daily Circulation: 356,768
6. Daily Mail
Ranking 6th on this list of the top 10 newspapers in the world is The Daily Mail, a British daily middle-market newspaper published in London in a tabloid format. The Daily Mail has 1,222,611 newspapers in daily circulation and a daily average readership of 3.95 million — making it one of the best newspapers in the world in terms of daily readership. The newspaper was founded in 1896 in London, UK.
- Founded: 1896
- Daily Mail Headquarters: London, UK.
- Daily Mail Daily Circulation: 1,222,611
7. Yomiuri Shimbun
Yomiuri Shimbun is known for having the largest newspaper circulation in the world at 9,017,000 in daily circulation. Yomiuri Shimbun is also the top-selling newspaper in the world based on these daily circulation numbers. The Yomiuri Shimbun is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities.
- Founded: 1874
- Yomiuri Shimbun Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
- Yomiuri Shimbun Daily Circulation: 1,222,611
8. Dainik Bhaskar
Dainik Bhaskar is an Indian Hindi-language daily newspaper that is the largest circulated daily newspaper of India. Dainik Bhaskar is owned by the largest print media company and has a daily circulation of 4,320,781 making it one of the largest newspapers in the world and the largest newspaper by circulation in the 2nd most populated country in the world.
- Founded: 1948
- Yomiuri Shimbun Headquarters: Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
- Yomiuri Shimbun Daily Circulation: 4,320,781
9. Reference News
Ranking 9th on this list of the top 10 newspapers in the world list is Reference News, a Chinese newspaper that was founded in 1931 and ranked 7th in the world in circulation. The paper is also published in the Uighur, Kazakh, Korean, and Mongolian languages for ethnic minority groups in China.
- Founded: 1931
- Reference News Headquarters: China
- Reference News Average Circulation: 4,320,781
10. The Asahi Shimbun
Rounding out BizVibe’s list of the top 10 newspapers in the world is The Asahi Shimbun, the 2nd most circulated newspaper in the world with an average circulation of 6,622 (thousands) and 7.96 million newspapers for its daily edition. The Asahi Shimbun has headquarters in Osaka and remains a privately held family business in the major ownership and control of the founding Murayama and Ueno families.
- Founded: 1879
- The Asahi Shimbun Headquarters: Osaka, Japan
- The Asahi Shimbun Average Circulation: 7,960,000
This is BizVibe’s list of the top 10 newspapers in the world ranked by popularity and circulation in 2020.
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Top Newspapers in the World by Average Circulation
Here is a complete list of the top newspapers in the world by average circulation in 2020.
Newspaper |
Country |
Circulation (thousands) |
| Yomiuri Shimbun | Japan | 9,101 |
| Asahi Shimbun | Japan | 6,622 |
| USA Today | USA | 4,139 |
| Dainik Bhaskar | India | 3,818 |
| Dainik Jagran | India | 3,308 |
| The Mainichi Newspapers | Japan | 3,166 |
| Reference News | China | 3,073 |
| Amar Ujala | India | 2,935 |
| The Times of India | India | 2,836 |
| The Nikkei | Japan | 2,729 |
| People’s Daily | China | 2,603 |
| Chunichi Shimbun | Japan | 2,452 |
| Hindustan Dainik | India | 2,410 |
| Malayala Manorama | India | 2,343 |
| The Wall Street Journal | USA | 2,379 |
| Bild | Germany | 2,220 |
| The New York Times | USA | 2,134 |
| Guangzhou Daily | China | 1,880 |
| Nanfang Daily | China | 1,853 |
| Rajasthan Patrika | India | 1,812 |
| New Delhi Times | India | 550 |
Source: Data from WAN-IFRA’s World Press Trends 2016 report.
- Yomiuri Shimbun is the largest newspaper in the world by circulation with 9,101 average newspaper circulation.
- USA Today is the largest in average newspaper circulation in the USA.
