tech
April 17, 2026
Colombia reads more on screen: what is this boom due to and what are the best apps for ebooks?
In 2005, only 11% of Colombians read on the internet. In 2022, 45% of the country's adults stated they read in digital or hybrid format. This leap was not coincidental: it is explained by the pandemic, the massification of smartphones, and a publishing offer that in recent years decided to take the digital format seriously in the country.
TL;DR
- 45% of Colombian adults now read in digital or hybrid format, a significant increase from 11% in 2005.
- The smartphone is the most used device for digital reading, adopted by 74% of digital readers in 2022.
- 93.2% of digital book sales in Colombia are concentrated in technical-scientific and educational content.
- Audiobook sales have seen substantial growth, increasing from $195 million in 2018 to $1.064 billion in 2024, with a 32.6% annual growth rate.
- Digital books represent 9.9% of total book sales in Colombia, with modest growth compared to markets like Japan.
- The pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital formats, with digital ISBNs reaching a historical peak of 39.2% during 2020-2021.