WHY IS FINLAND THE MOST

READ COUNTRY IN THE WORLD?

March 10, 2023
UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICA DE TECAMAC
González Valencia Naydeline
Gutiérrez García Miriam Lizeth
Maldonado Tavira Berenice
Martínez Prieto María Guadalupe
Illustration 1.Oodi, Finland's incredible public library. Photo: EFE
 FINLAND THE MOST
READ COUNTRY IN
THE WORLD.

Introduction.
This article describes why Finland is
Reading is a beneficial activity for the one of the most widely read countries
human being, this is a mental and in the world, with the purpose of
visual process, in which the meaning analyzing what Finland does to have
of a text is deduced, its content is an average of 47 books per year per
interpreted, the message is person.
understood, inferences and
questionings are made.

Reading enables the development of

cognitive and interactive thinking of
any reader, as well as easily building
new knowledge, developing
imagination and language, improving
our oral and written expression.

2
 Illustration 2. Places Photo: no author https://ar.pinterest.com/

Finland the most read country reading comprehension as a pillar of

their society, having the highest
in the world.
number of books and libraries per
capita in the world.
According to (Veronica Juárez, 2017)
among the most literate countries, Xavier Melgarejo, school psychologist

European countries predominate: at the Claret School in Barcelona and

Finland in first place, followed by doctor in pedagogy (specializing in the

Norway and Iceland in second and Finnish system), in his speech at the

third. 1st International Congress on Children

and Primary Reading Comprehension
Finland is a reading paradise, with an
(CICLIP) explains that the reason why
average of 47 books per year per
Finland is the country that reads the
person, in this country they consider
most in the world is because they learn

3
to read at the age of 7, later than in any imitate them", but they do not teach
other country, however, as soon as their children to read. "They don't act
they turn 9, the Finns lead the rankings as teachers. They teach them habits of
on reading and reading respect for reading and for the
comprehension. teachers. They act as social role
models. They practice by example.
80% of families go once a week to the
library to read.

Ilustración 3. Xavier Melgarejo en CICLIP Photo:

Supertics https://n9.cl/hzkr6

This lies in the Finnish education

system itself, "which is not simply the
Illustration 4. Oodi, Finland's incredible public library.
school system itself but is made up of Photo: EFE

three big pieces that make the whole

thing work: family, school and socio-
cultural structures".
2. As for the socio-cultural
structure, Melgarejo
highlights two main actors: "the first is
1. Regarding the Finnish television and the second is the church.

family, Melgarejo In Finland, TV reinforces the process

emphasizes their love of reading. of learning to read. As the programmes
"They are among the most widely read are all broadcast in their original
in the world. They go very often to the language with subtitles, including
library, of which there are many children's content, this makes the child
throughout the country, with a large super-motivated when he starts
number and variety of books at their reading. "That's when they find out
disposal. what the cartoons are about. And

Parents read with their children, "they because the subtitles are very fast, it

read in front of them, and the children reinforces their learning.

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On the other hand, the Lutheran
church is also part of this socio-cultural
fabric. "Despite the fact that people no
longer consider themselves as
believers as they used to and go to
church less often, there has been a
belief for centuries that has motivated
people to read. In the Lutheran church,
one can only achieve salvation by
reading the Holy Scriptures. The only
way to be saved from hell was to learn
to read.
Illustration 5. Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral, Helsinki
photo: Wikipedia
3. The school environment is
the third piece of the puzzle
"The fact that they start reading at the
age of 7 is because they understand
that this is when their brain is ready to
do it. Before the age of 7, all they must
do is play, and when they reach that
age, they start to learn in a very strong
way".
Illustration 6. Finlandia teacher photo: no author
https://n9.cl/94k9q
For Melgarejo, the key to success lies
in the teacher himself. "The best
teachers are chosen for this age group
because their influence on the child will
be decisive. They are the ones who will
help them to structure their thinking,
the language...".
One of the skills that any teacher who
wants to teach the youngest pupils
must master is that of reading. "The
Finns don't skimp when it comes to
investing in preserving their language
and culture. They are not a strong
country militarily, but they are strong in
terms of culture. They believe that this
is what guarantees their identity as a
nation and their social cohesion.
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Conclusion.

Finally, reading is a fundamental part

of people and of their mental and
expressive development. Reading
allows us to get to know new worlds, to
open our imagination, to express
ourselves without fear and above all it
helps us to be able to express
ourselves and to make our main ideas
known.

As can be seen, the Finnish education

system is well-functioning, making
them the first country in terms of
reading competence, as well as having
an extensive library system.

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References.

Juárez, V. (14 de julio de 2017).

¿Cuál es el país que lee más?,
infografía. Obtenido de
uvejota:
https://uvejota.com/articles/439
2/cual-es-el-pais-que-lee-mas-
infografia/

Lozano, G. (19 de abril de 2016). Tres

razones por las que los niños
finlandeses son los que mejor
leen. Obtenido de Yorokobu:
https://www.yorokobu.es/lectur
a-
finlandeses/#:~:text=Aprenden
%20a%20leer%20a%20los,los
%20rankings%20sobre%20co
mprensi%C3%B3n%20lectora.