UNESCO estimates that 2.2 million books are published each year (source).

Assume, on average, that you can read 1 book every 1.5 days. This is faster than the typical person’s reading speed, but it’s roughly the rate at which I have read books during the first few months of 2025.

That equates to reading about 240 books per year. 240 divided by 2.2 million equals ~0.0001, or around 0.01%. This means that you will miss out on 99.9% of books that are ever published!

To wrap my head around this tiny number, 0.01% is roughly equal to:

  • The proportion of neon (!) in the Earth’s air
  • The proportion of births that result in quintuplets (!!!)
  • About one-third the probability that you will be struck by lightning in a given year

And this only accounts for the books that are released every year - this ignores the enormous backlog of books released before you are born and learn to read!