Istat maps cultural trends in Italy: cinema, reading and a museums surge

Istat maps cultural trends in Italy: cinema, reading and a museums surge

The fourth release of Istat's StorieDiDati, presented during an Istat talk on a century of cultural consumption, outlines a complex picture of Italians' cultural habits: resilience in some areas, generational shifts and marked growth in cultural attendance.

• Cinema: in 2025, the share of people attending the cinema at least once a year rose to 48.2%, driven mainly by younger audiences, while frequent attendees have declined.
• Books: printed books remain central: about 7 out of 10 readers in 2025 chose only paper formats; e-books and audiobooks account for 11.1% and 2.5% respectively.
• Museums and archaeological sites: from 1929 to 2024 the number of state institutions grew from 110 to 453 and visitors from 2.8 million to nearly 61 million, with more than 20 million added in the last decade.
• Theatre and live shows: a gradual post-pandemic recovery, surpassing 800 tickets per 1000 inhabitants in 2024, though still less widespread than other cultural activities.

The report also highlights demographic gaps: reading is more widespread among women and young people (with 58.2% of 11-14 year-olds reading at least one book), and international tourism played a key role in the rise of museum visitors.

Source: Istat, “Tra cultura e svago: un viaggio lungo un secolo” (Istat talk presentation). Publication date: 2026-04-29.