Tuesday, June 6 2006 10:31 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Moscow: After IT, India is now also a 'newspaper power' with the largest circulation of dailies in the democratic world with free press, a report released here yesterday (June 5, 2006) said.

Although China remains the topper with 96.6 million copies sold daily, India with 78.7 million copies sold daily leads the major democratic powers with free press followed by Japan 69.7 million, the United States (53.3 million copies) and Germany (21.5 million copies), according to a report by Paris-based World Newspaper Association (WAN).

Seven of the ten of world's 100 best selling dailies are now published in Asia. India, China and Japan are home for 62 of them, according to the 700-page report distributed here today at the inauguration of its 59th annual world summit of editors and top media managers.

Newspapers sales increased in China and India and declined in Japan, United States and Germany in 2005.

Indian newspaper sales increased 7 percent in 2005 and 33 percent in the five-year period.

Twenty-one countries including India, the US and Russia saw newspaper advertising market share growth in 2005.

Over five years, newspapers in 24 countries and territories including India, Russia, Pakistan and Myanmar saw increased market share.

In India, newspaper advertising revenues increased 23.18 percent over one year and 107.69 percent over the last five. South Africa also saw remarkable gains of 20.71 percent over one year and 232.23 percent over five years, the report said.