Religious Books Rank Among Top Picks at Cairo Book Fair

Religious books have consistently ranked among the most preferred categories for visitors to the Cairo International Book Fair, according to tracking studies conducted by the National Centre for Social and Criminological Research across more than two decades.

The studies, covering 2001, 2015 and a 2025 research paper discussed at the centre, show that religious titles ranked first in visitor preferences in 2001, accounting for 59% of responses. Their share declined to 38.9% in 2015, before rising again in 2025, when they placed second at 53%, behind cultural books.

Political books ranked third in the most recent findings. The 2025 research also examined how visitors engage with the fair’s cultural programme. Around 25.5% of respondents said they intentionally attend seminars and cultural activities held alongside the fair, while 74.5% said they do not, noting that their visits focus primarily on purchasing or browsing books. Each study was based on a separate visitor sample.

The 2001 research surveyed fewer than 7,000 respondents, the 2015 study included approximately 6,222 respondents, and the 2025 paper was based on a statistically representative sample of 3,000 visitors selected using systematic sampling methods.