Borrowing Patterns of NLB Physical and E-books by Language and Age Categories in Past 10 Years

Mr Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik asked the Minister for Digital Development and Information for NLB library users in the past 10 years and for both physical and e-books, what is the percentage of (i) English-language books borrowed compared to Chinese, Malay, and Tamil-language books and (ii) adult books borrowed compared to teenage and children books.

Mrs Josephine Teo: Over the 10-year period from January 2016 to December 2025, there were a total of about 330 million physical and e-books borrowed including renewals.

Breakdown of loans by language: (a) 76% of total loans were for English-language books; (b) 21% of total loans were for Chinese-language books; (c) 2% of total loans were for Malay-language books; and (d) 1% of total loans were for Tamil-language books.

Breakdown of loans by age group: (a) 60% of total loans were for adult books; (b) 4% of total loans were for teenage books; and (c) 36% of total loans were for children's books.