Moldovans increasingly read Romanian newspapers, magazines and books - Veaceslav Ionita
Viitorul, economic policy expert at the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS), made a special edition of the program “Economic Analyses with Veaceslav Ionita”, timed to the national holiday Limba Noastra Cea Romana (Our Romanian Language), celebrated on August 31. Despite the fact that today the country's residents read printed publications 3-4 times less than 15 years ago, the expert notes a significant increase in interest in Romanian literature. In 1995 there were 287 printed periodicals in Moldova. In 1998, their number increased to 331, reaching a historic high of 518 editions in 2008.However, by 2018, their number decreased again to 331, and in 2023 to a record low of 222 editions. “Since 2008, about 20 periodicals have closed in Moldova every year. The biggest decline occurred in 2015, when 60 newspapers and magazines were closed. The banking crisis, price hikes, currency depreciation and high inflation have also negatively affected the printed press,” the expert said. In 1996-2000 there were 292 periodicals in the country, of which 205 were newspapers and 87 were magazines. In 2006-2010, their number increased to 478 (221 newspapers and 257 magazines), but by 2021-2023 it dropped to 250 (96 newspapers and 154 magazines). “The number of newspapers decreased from 205 to 96, while the number of magazines increased from 87 to 154. Newspapers on paper are practically disappearing,” Veaceslav Ionita noted. Analyzing language preferences, the expert notes that in 1996-2000, out of 292 publications, 134 (45.9%) were in Romanian, while 159 were in Russian and other languages. In 2006-2010, 222 (46.4%) out of 478 publications were in Romanian, and in 2021-2023 - 105 (42%) out of 250. Veaceslav Ionita notes a decrease in the number of newspapers purchased. In 2001-2005, the average adult resident of Moldova bought 19 newspapers per year, of which 8 were in Romanian and 11 - in Russian and other languages. In 2021-2023, that number fell to 6.6 newspapers a year, of which 3.1 were in Romanian and 3.4 in Russian. “Although 78% of Moldovans speak Romanian, most of the newspapers they bought were in Russian. However, since 2001, the number of Russian-language newspapers has decreased 4 times,” Veaceslav Ionitsa said. While speaking about magazines, the expert notes that in 1996-2000 Moldovans bought an average of 13 magazines per year, of which 3 were in Romanian and 10 in Russian. In 2021-2023, Moldovans bought an average of 5 magazines, of which 3 were in Romanian and 2 in Russian. Analyzing press imports, the expert noted that in 2021-2023 its volume amounted to $500 thousand per year, which is 10 times less compared to 2006-2010, when imports reached $4.7 million. Imports of books increased 5 times, in 1996-2000 it amounted to $2.2 million, and in 2021-2023 - $8.7 million per year, while only in 2023 Moldova imported books worth more than $10 million. The main countries supplying books in 2023 were Romania (34.9%), Russia (20.4%) and Ukraine (11%). One third of the imported books are written in Romanian, one third in Russian and one third in the rest of the world's languages, mainly English. Statistics from the National Book Chamber of Moldova show that in 2023, 2,521 books were published in the country, of which 1,832 (72.7%) in Romanian and 689 (27.3%) in other languages. At the same time, 44.1% of the books were printed in private publishing houses; 15.9% - in state publishing houses; 12.2% - abroad on the order of Moldovan publishing houses; 3.3% - by printing houses as publishing houses; 0.6% - by state centers of higher education; 0.4% - by private centers of higher education; 0.3% - by publishing houses of state authorities; 0.2% - by religious publishing houses; 23.2% of the books were published without indicating the publishing house. “The point is not that Moldovans have stopped reading the press and books, but that the market is being swallowed up by the Internet,” the expert concluded. // 30.08.2024 - InfoMarket.
