Even in North America and Europe, where negative assumptions about the industry are widespread, both circulation and the number of new titles have increased, according to the updated data.

"What we are seeing completely contradicts the conventional wisdom that newspapers are in terminal decline," said Timothy Balding, CEO of the Paris-based WAN. "Newspapers are doing far better than commonly believed. In fact, the figures confirm that the industry is healthy and vigorous and is successfully dealing with increasing competition from other media. The fashion of predicting the death of newspapers should be exposed for what it is -- nothing more than a fashion, based on common assumptions that are belied by the facts."

The new figures are contained in an a update released today of WAN’s annual statistical compendium of the newspaper industry, World Press Trends.

The figures show:

  Globally, combined paid-for and free newspaper circulation increased 9.95 percent over five years, and 2.36 percent over one year, in 2005, the most recent period for which full-year figures are available. North America showed a five-year circulation increase of 0.70 percent and was virtually stable over one year. Europe showed a 2.12 percent increase over five years and a one-year increase of 4.18 percent.

  The total number of paid-for daily newspaper titles worldwide jumped over the 10,000 mark for the first time in history, to 10,104, a 13 percent growth from 2001, when there were 8,930 titles.

  Free daily newspaper circulation more than doubled from 2001 to 2005, from 12 million copies in 2001 to 28 million in 2005, an increase of 137 percent.

  In Europe, combined paid-for and free newspaper circulation increased 2.12 percent in the five years to 2005, and 4.18 percent over one year. The number of new titles grew 15.86 percent over five years, and were stable over one year.

  In North America, newspaper circulation increased 0.7 percent over five years, and marginally declined 0.04 percent over one year. The number of titles declined 0.84 percent over five years but increased 1.21 percent over one year.

"The figures show that there has been a quiet revolution in the number of daily launches. This burgeoning growth of daily titles worldwide has largely gone unnoticed by market makers and media pundits obsessed with the digital media revolution," said Mr Balding. "Meanwhile the real-world growth of newspaper titles and circulations continues inexorably.

"These trends also indicate the widespread, but often overlooked, innovation that is occurring in the newspaper industry. While much attention has been focused on digital development, the print product is also changing. Even in the most developed markets, there has been a proliferation of new genres of newspapers, targeting new audience segments and generating creative marketing and distribution scenarios. And the surge of new, free titles thrust into the paid-for market is the result of many publishers rethinking the cover-price revenue model in place for more than 400 years."

Mr Balding noted that newspapers represent a nearly 180-billion-dollar industry worldwide, with more advertising revenues than radio, outdoor, cinema, magazines and the internet combined. More than 6 billion euros has been invested in newspaper technology in the past five years, and the industry employs nearly two million people world-wide.

The latest World Press Trends figures can be downloaded from the bottom of this page.

The Paris-based WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry, represents 18,000 newspapers; its membership includes 76 national newspaper associations, newspaper companies and individual newspaper executives in 102 countries, 12 news agencies and 10 regional and world-wide press groups.

Inquiries to: Larry Kilman, Director of Communications, WAN, 7 rue Geoffroy St Hilaire, 75005 Paris France. Tel: +33 1 47 42 85 00. Fax: +33 1 47 42 49 48. Mobile: +33 6 10 28 97 36. E-mail: lkilman@wan.asso.fr.