Latest ABC figures show The Economist circulation holding steady at 1.6MM despite price rise

August 15, 2019 - LONDON - Today’s release of the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) January to June 2019 (JJ19) certificates show that The Economist’s circulation is holding steady at 1,657,817, essentially flat from the previous period, despite a price rise in March 2019.

“As publications continue to face headwinds in a challenging media environment, we are proud of the fact that we continue to attract and retain loyal readers at a premium price,” said Marina Haydn, EVP and Managing Director, Circulation at The Economist. "To uphold this momentum, our focus is fully on reader and prospect engagement in particular across our digital product spectrum."

This period marks just the second time that The Economist’s circulation has been reported and audited in a new format by ABC. Working in collaboration with ABC during its JD18 release, The Economist consolidated its reporting into one Print certificate and one Digital Publications certificate. It no longer reports six regional certificates.

Global highlights include:

• Worldwide (print + digital) circulation is 1,657,817
• Global print circulation is 859,232 and Global digital circulation is 798,585
• The print vs digital split is 52:48
• Actively purchased rate 99% (print) and 100% (digital). Actively purchased copies are the sum of circulation from Paid Single Copies and Paid Subscription Copies - Individual. The actively purchased rate is a reflection of circulation profitability
• Social audiences decreased to 50,424,660, reflecting the closure of the Google+ platform

The Economist joined ABC in 1949 and has been reporting transparent, audited and comparable trading information ever since. In 2016 The Economist worked with ABC to launch the very first worldwide brand report demonstrating their global reach using clear trusted data.

UK highlights include:

• UK edition circulation (ex-Ireland) is strong at 302,289 (1.4)%
• Digital circulation is steady at 148,037 (1.3)%
• Print circulation is 154,252 (1.5)%
• UK circulation accounts for 18% of global circulation
• Print:Digital split is 51:49

The Economist’s latest Worldwide Brand Report and audit certificates for all regions are available for download at www.abc.org.uk. You may view the Worldwide Brand Report here: https://www.abc.org.uk/Certificates/49728606.pdf

For more information contact:

(UK) HollyDonahue@economist.com OR +44 (0)20 7576 8379
(US) TomAmos@economist.com OR +1 212 541 0583

About The Economist (www.economist.com)

With a growing global audience and a reputation for insightful analysis and perspective on every aspect of world events, The Economist is one of the most widely recognised and well-read current affairs publications in the world. In addition to the weekly print and digital editions and website, The Economist publishes Espresso, a daily news app, Global Business Review, a bilingual English-Chinese product and a Economist VR, a virtual-reality app. Economist Radio produces several podcasts a week, and Economist Films produces short- and long-form video. The Economist maintains robust social communities on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, LINE, Medium and other social networks. A recipient of many editorial and marketing awards, The Economist was recently named the most trusted news source in the 2017 Trusting News Project Report.