Indians are the world's biggest bookworms, reading on average 10.7 hours a week, twice as long as Americans, according to a new survey.

The NOP World Culture Score index surveyed 30,000 people in 30 countries from December 2004 to February 2005.

Analysts said self-help and aspirational reading could explain India's high figures.

Time spent on reading meant fewer hours watching TV and listening to the radio - India came fourth last in both.

The NOP survey of 30,000 consumers aged over 13 saw China and the Philippines take second and third place respectively in average hours a week spent reading books, newspapers and magazines.

Britons and Americans scored about half the Indians' hours and Japanese and Koreans were even lower - at 4.1 and 3.1 hours respectively.

R Sriram, chief executive officer of Crosswords Bookstores, a chain of 26 book shops around India, says Indians are extremely entrepreneurial and reading "is a fundamental part of their being".

"They place a great deal of emphasis on reading. That's the reason why they do well in education and universities abroad," he said.

"People educate themselves and deal with change throughout their lives. And the way to do that is to update themselves with books."

Mr Sriram says social changes have also made a difference: "Earlier people could turn to their parents and grandparents for advice. Now they turn to books."

　　最新一项调查显示，全世界最爱读书的是印度人，他们每周花在读书上的时间平均达到10.7小时，是美国人的两倍。

　　NOP世界文化评分指数在2004年12月至2005年2月期间对30个国家的三万人进行了调查。

　　分析师们指出，自助读书、热爱读书是印度人均读书时间超过别的国家的主要原因。

　　把时间用于读书意味着看电视和听广播的时间就相对减少，印度人用在看电视和听广播的时间都排在倒数第四位。

　　NOP调查的三万名消费者的平均年龄超过13岁。中国人和菲律宾人每周用在读书、读报及看杂志上的时间分列第二和第三名。

　　英国人和美国人的每周读报时间仅为印度人的一半，而日本和韩国则更低，分别为4.1小时和3.1小时。

　　在印度拥有26家图书连锁店的克劳斯沃兹书店执行总裁斯利拉姆表示，印度人非常具有开创精神，读书是他们生活中不可缺少的一部分。

　　他说：“他们非常注重读书。这就是为什么他们的学习都很棒，在国外大学学习时表现也很出色。”

　　“人们进行自我教育，应对生活中出现的变化。要做到这点就必须通过读书来充实自己。”

　　斯利拉姆先生表示，社会变革也起到一定影响，“以前人们会从父母或祖父母那里寻求帮助，而现在他们求助于书本。”