According to figures published by the World Association of Newspapers (WAN), even in countries where paid-for circulations are on the decline, the freesheet market is extending the reach of newspapers.
When free dailies are added to the paid-for newspaper circulation, global circulation rose by 3.65% in 2007, and by 154.3% for the past five years.
The picture for UK newspaper publishers was not so rosy however, with the WAN figures showing that there was a 3.46% decline in total circulations in 2007. Across the EU, paid for dailies were down by 2.37%.
The UK's Metro is the second largest free daily in the world, behind Italian title Leggo, which distributes an average of 1.95m copies a day compared with 1.37m copies of the Metro.
Print remains the biggest advertising medium in the world, with a 40% share of the entire budget spent by marketers.
Global newspaper industry winning circulations battle
The global newspaper industry is withstanding the threat from the internet with circulations for paid-for titles rising by 2.75% in 2007, however total circulations in the UK were down 3.46%.
