Newspapers in 23 of the 30 countries in which data was available recorded a real increase in advertising revenues in 2000; only in six countries did these revenues decrease. In current prices, 29 out of 35 were up.

In the European Union, 14 of the 15 countries recorded real increases in 2000, as high as 14 percent in Ireland or 12.2 percent in Italy. Over the past five years, all of them are up.

Advertising income was down in only one EU country, Denmark, by 3.1 percent, and reflected for the most part the elimination of agency commissions from the figures.

In Norway, adspend rose last year by 8.6 percent in real terms. The latest figures (for 1999) show an increase of 16 percent in Iceland and 11 percent in Switzerland.

Overall, adspend in European newspapers increased by 8.7 percent in constant terms last year.

The growth rate of spending in US newspapers slowed in 2000, coming down to 2 percent in real terms, from 3.2 percent the previous year, or from 5.4 percent to 5.1 percent in current prices. Revenues are up 16.7 percent since 1996 in constant prices.

In Japan, newspapers appear to be rallying even though the country's economic problems continue: Dentsu gives an increase of 8.1 percent in newspaper advertising in 2000, compared with total advertising market growth of 7.2 percent.

Total advertising spend on daily newspapers was 48.650 billion dollars in the US, 22.331 billion dollars in Europe, and 7.442 billion dollars in Japan.

Outside these three economic blocks, there were many positive figures, particularly in Asia: a newspaper adspend increase, in real prices of 26.2 percent in Thailand; an increase last year of 19.1 percent in Hong Kong and of 58.6 percent over the last five years; an increase of 12.6 percent in China, or 61.9 percent since 1996; an increase of 17 percent in South Korea; an increase of 11.6 percent in India for 1999, the last year for which figures are available.

In Latin America only Brazil, Chile and Uruguay could provide advertising figures: Brazilian newspapers enjoyed an increase in revenues of 18 percent in current prices in local currency, or 12.5 percent in US dollars; in Uruguay, revenues grew by 2.2 percent; in Chile, they increased 3.6 percent in current prices, but fell 0.6 percent in real terms.

Newspapers in 19 countries increased their share of the advertising market in 2000: Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and the United Kingdom.

Newspapers in 20 countries – four more than in 1999 – have also increased their share of the advertising market in the last five years: Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United Kingdom.

Elsewhere share fell over five years, by as many as 14.9 points in Russia, 11.7 points in the Philippines, 11.3 points in Pakistan, 10.7 points in Hungary, 8.2 points in France, 8 points in Thailand, 7.6 points in Hong Kong – where newspapers gained ground last year – 5 points in Canada, or 4.5 points in China.

Newspapers in eight countries still win 50 percent or more of the advertising market, though in four of them -- Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland -- the share has diminished since 1996.

The countries where newspapers had the lowest share of the advertising market were Cyprus (9.4 percent), Poland (10.8 percent), Peru (11 percent), Colombia (11.3 percent), Portugal and Russia (11.4 percent).

The United States lost 2.6 percent of market share between 1996 and 2000; in Japan, over the same period, the share declined by less than one point.

Major disparities continue in the ratio of advertising to circulation sales as a source of newspaper income: from 87 percent in favour of advertising in the US to 61 percent in favour of sales in Japan -- a difference of 48 points between these revenue sources. In western Europe, Luxembourg newspapers gain 79 percent of their revenues from advertising, in Germany 65 percent, in Norway 63 percent and in the United Kingdom 63 percent. In France, advertising revenues account for only 41 percent of total income, the lowest in the EU.