The international top 20 books includes: Bible, The Eyes of Darkness, BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense., The Decameron, The Plague, 1984, Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu, Love in the Time of Cholera, KonoSuba, Sword Art Online, The Witcher, James Bond, Les Misérables, Don Quixote, Revelation of John, The Stand, Romeo and Juliet, The Lord of the Rings, Doom and Little Women.
Briefly about the methodology
Wikipedia currently has over 52 million articles in over 300 languages. Despite the impressive number of articles, not all topics can be written in this free encyclopedia. At the same time, the community of each language version has the ability to decide which topic can be described in the encyclopedia, and which is not (for example, article must be notable). In addition, each language version can describe the same topic in its own way – it all depends on the quantity and quality of the authors (Wikipedia users who edit articles).
Almost every Wikipedia article has an aligment to certain categories. Additionally, based on the content, you can specify the subject of the article – for this you can, for example, use semantic relations in Wikidata or DBpedia. More details on the automatic article classification process can be found in various scientific works (e.g. Multilingual Ranking of Wikipedia Articles with Quality and Popularity Assessment in Different Topics).
This article selected the most-developed language versions of Wikipedia with over 1 million articles, including English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Polish and other. After the classification of articles, only those that are dedicated to individual books. As a result for English Wikipedia 58048 articles about books were found, French – 24363 books, Italian – 15803 books, German – 13181 books, Spanish – 11755 books, Russian – 8148 books, Portuguese – 7316 books, Polish – 6876 books, Arabic – 6683 books, Japanese – 6102 books and Chinese – 5055 books.
As mentioned earlier, every Wikipedia article can have different language versions, so we can find out different names of the same object (book). Using open data on Wikipedia article views we can find out how many times a given article has been viewed on specific days. After collecting data for viewing all Wikipedia articles on books in the appropriate language versions March 2020 ranking of the most readable was made. First, the positions of books in the ranking are shown, which were obtained by adding up the page views from different language versions for a given book. Later, the most popular books are shown for only one language version of Wikipedia.
1st place – Bible
Bible – collection of sacred books in Judaism and Christianity, in March 2020 the book was on the 1st place in English, on the 2nd place in Spanish, Portuguese, on the 12th place in Italian, Polish, on the 14th place in Russian, on the 15th place in Arabic, on the 18th place in German, on the 23rd place in French, on the 97th place in Chinese and on the 191st place in Japanese Wikipedia.
2nd place – The Eyes of Darkness
The Eyes of Darkness – American thriller novel by Dean Koontz, in March 2020 the book was on the 1st place in Arabic, German, on the 2nd place in English, on the 3rd place in French, on the 22nd place in Spanish and Italian Wikipedia.
3rd place – BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense.
BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense. – Japanese light novel series, in March 2020 the book was on the 1st place in Japanese, Chinese, on the 7th place in English, on the 120th place in Spanish and on the 263rd place in Italian Wikipedia.
4th place – The Decameron
The Decameron – 14th-century medieval allegory by Giovanni Boccaccio, in March 2020 the book was on the 1st place in Italian, on the 3rd place in Spanish, on the 6th place in German, on the 8th place in Polish, Russian, on the 13th place in English, on the 15th place in French, on the 21st place in Portuguese, on the 32nd place in Japanese, on the 65th place in Chinese and on the 321st place in Arabic Wikipedia.
5th place – The Plague
The Plague – French novel by Albert Camus, in March 2020 the book was on the 1st place in French, Polish, on the 4th place in German, Italian, on the 5th place in Spanish, on the 16th place in English, on the 17th place in Japanese, on the 28th place in Russian, on the 42nd place in Arabic, on the 44th place in Portuguese and on the 303rd place in Chinese Wikipedia.
6th place – 1984
1984 – dystopian novel written by George Orwell, in March 2020 the book was on the 5th place in English, French, Russian, on the 7th place in Spanish, Italian, on the 8th place in Portuguese, on the 10th place in German, on the 21st place in Polish, on the 32nd place in Arabic, Chinese and on the 46th place in Japanese Wikipedia.
7th place – Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu
Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu – Japanese light novel series, in March 2020 the book was on the 2nd place in Japanese, on the 4th place in Chinese, on the 24th place in Portuguese, on the 36th place in English, on the 51st place in Spanish, on the 78th place in French, on the 121st place in Russian, on the 156th place in Italian, on the 186th place in Arabic, on the 224th place in German and on the 253rd place in Polish Wikipedia.
8th place – Love in the Time of Cholera
Love in the Time of Cholera – novel by Colombian Nobel prize winning author Gabriel García Márquez, in March 2020 the book was on the 3rd place in Polish, on the 4th place in Arabic, on the 6th place in English, Italian, on the 7th place in German, on the 12th place in Spanish, on the 40th place in French, on the 76th place in Chinese, on the 118th place in Portuguese, on the 136th place in Russian and on the 865th place in Japanese Wikipedia.
9th place – KonoSuba
KonoSuba – Japanese light novel series, in March 2020 the book was on the 3rd place in Japanese, on the 5th place in Chinese, on the 21st place in English, on the 24th place in Spanish, on the 47th place in Portuguese, on the 53rd place in Russian, on the 133rd place in French, on the 255th place in German and on the 300th place in Italian Wikipedia.
10th place – Sword Art Online
Sword Art Online – Japanese light novel series, in March 2020 the book was on the 3rd place in Chinese, on the 6th place in Japanese, on the 15th place in Portuguese, on the 27th place in Spanish, French, on the 34th place in English, on the 50th place in German, on the 53rd place in Italian, on the 60th place in Russian, on the 125th place in Polish and on the 185th place in Arabic Wikipedia.
11th place – The Witcher
The Witcher – series of fantasy novels and short stories by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski, in March 2020 the book was on the 2nd place in Russian, on the 5th place in Polish, on the 10th place in English, on the 13th place in German, on the 40th place in Italian, on the 45th place in French, on the 48th place in Spanish, on the 82nd place in Portuguese, on the 195th place in Chinese, on the 309th place in Arabic and on the 431st place in Japanese Wikipedia.
12th place – James Bond
James Bond – media franchise about a British spy, in March 2020 the book was on the 3rd place in Russian, on the 8th place in English, on the 12th place in Japanese, on the 31st place in Arabic, on the 33rd place in Chinese, on the 494th place in Portuguese and on the 1343rd place in Spanish Wikipedia.
13th place – Les Misérables
Les Misérables – 1862 Victor Hugo novel, in March 2020 the book was on the 4th place in Japanese, on the 9th place in French, on the 13th place in Arabic, on the 25th place in Spanish, Portuguese, on the 38th place in Chinese, on the 44th place in English, on the 78th place in Polish, on the 84th place in Russian, on the 109th place in Italian and on the 194th place in German Wikipedia.
14th place – Don Quixote
Don Quixote – novel by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, in March 2020 the book was on the 1st place in Spanish, on the 6th place in Portuguese, on the 12th place in French, on the 27th place in German, on the 31st place in Italian, on the 37th place in Arabic, English, on the 56th place in Chinese, on the 64th place in Polish, on the 81st place in Japanese and on the 118th place in Russian Wikipedia.
15th place – Revelation of John
Revelation of John – Final book of the New Testament, in March 2020 the book was on the 4th place in Portuguese, on the 8th place in Spanish, on the 12th place in German, on the 14th place in Polish, on the 17th place in French, on the 23rd place in Japanese, on the 26th place in Italian, on the 29th place in Russian, on the 30th place in English, on the 72nd place in Arabic and on the 111th place in Chinese Wikipedia.
16th place – The Stand
The Stand – novel by Stephen King, in March 2020 the book was on the 3rd place in English, on the 19th place in German, on the 59th place in Italian, on the 72nd place in French, on the 92nd place in Polish, on the 175th place in Spanish, on the 196th place in Portuguese, on the 672nd place in Japanese, on the 865th place in Arabic and on the 985th place in Chinese Wikipedia.
17th place – Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet – tragedy by William Shakespeare, in March 2020 the book was on the 7th place in French, on the 11th place in Spanish, on the 14th place in Portuguese, on the 16th place in Italian, on the 20th place in Polish, on the 24th place in German, on the 26th place in English, on the 37th place in Russian, on the 38th place in Arabic, on the 82nd place in Chinese and on the 98th place in Japanese Wikipedia.
18th place – The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings – 1954–1955 fantasy novel by J. R. R. Tolkien, in March 2020 the book was on the 10th place in Spanish, on the 15th place in Polish, on the 16th place in Portuguese, Russian, on the 18th place in English, on the 21st place in Italian, on the 26th place in German, on the 62nd place in French, on the 68th place in Chinese, on the 84th place in Arabic and on the 166th place in Japanese Wikipedia.
19th place – Doom
Doom – series of video games and other media, in March 2020 the book was on the 4th place in Russian, on the 11th place in English, on the 14th place in German, on the 26th place in French, on the 45th place in Chinese, on the 65th place in Polish, on the 113th place in Portuguese, on the 218th place in Spanish and on the 291st place in Italian Wikipedia.
20th place – Little Women
Little Women – novel by Louisa May Alcott, in March 2020 the book was on the 9th place in Arabic, on the 10th place in Russian, on the 12th place in English, on the 18th place in Spanish, on the 34th place in French, on the 35th place in Italian, on the 43rd place in Chinese, on the 89th place in Polish, on the 140th place in German and on the 179th place in Japanese Wikipedia.
The most popular books in Arabic Wikipedia
- The Eyes of Darkness – American thriller novel by Dean Koontz
- Shams al-Ma’arif – شمس المعارف
- Quran – the central religious text of Islam
- Love in the Time of Cholera – novel by Colombian Nobel prize winning author Gabriel García Márquez
- Sahih al-Bukhari – most famous collection of hadith in Sunni Islam
- One Thousand and One Nights – collection of west of asia stories and folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age
- Mu’allaqat
- Muqaddimah – book by Ibn Khaldun
- Little Women – novel by Louisa May Alcott
- Al-Bidaya wa’l-Nihaya – World history book based on Islamic themes
- The Forty Rules of Love – Book by Elif Şafak
- Kalila and Demna – collection of fables
- Les Misérables – 1862 Victor Hugo novel
- Sahih Muslim – book by Moslim ibn al-Hajjaj
- Bible – collection of sacred books in Judaism and Christianity
- موشح أندلسي
- The 100 – 1978 book by Michael H. Hart
- One Hundred Years of Solitude – novel by Gabriel García Márquez
- Al-Jafr
- The Protocols of the Elders of Zion – antisemitic hoax-promoting book
The most popular books in Chinese Wikipedia
- BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense. – Japanese light novel series
- That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime – Japanese light novel series
- Sword Art Online – Japanese light novel series
- Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu – Japanese light novel series
- KonoSuba – Japanese light novel series
- Infinite Dendrogram – Japanese light novel series
- Classroom of the Elite – Japanese light novel series
- 大国战疫
- Violet Evergarden – Japanese light novel series
- Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru. – Japanese light novel series
- SCP Foundation – online community web-based collaborative writing project
- The Hero is Overpowered but Overly Cautious – Japanese light novel, manga, and anime series
- A Certain Magical Index – Japanese light novel series
- Vampire Hunter D – Japanese novel series
- Date A Live – Japanese light novel series
- The Irregular at Magic High School – Japanese light novel series
- Seishun Buta Yarō – Japanese light novel series
- Strike the Blood – Japanese light novel series
- The Rising of the Shield Hero – Japanese light novel series
- No Game No Life – Japanese light novel series
The most popular books in English Wikipedia
- Bible – collection of sacred books in Judaism and Christianity
- The Eyes of Darkness – American thriller novel by Dean Koontz
- The Stand – novel by Stephen King
- The Plot Against America – novel by Philip Roth
- 1984 – dystopian novel written by George Orwell
- Love in the Time of Cholera – novel by Colombian Nobel prize winning author Gabriel García Márquez
- BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense. – Japanese light novel series
- James Bond – media franchise about a British spy
- Altered Carbon – science fiction novel by Richard K. Morgan
- The Witcher – series of fantasy novels and short stories by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski
- Doom – series of video games and other media
- Little Women – novel by Louisa May Alcott
- The Decameron – 14th-century medieval allegory by Giovanni Boccaccio
- All the Bright Places – Young adult novel
- The Handmaid’s Tale – dystopian science fiction novel
- The Plague – French novel by Albert Camus
- Superman: Red Son – 2003 three-issue comic book mini-series
- The Lord of the Rings – 1954–1955 fantasy novel by J. R. R. Tolkien
- The Great Gatsby – novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- The Outsider – 2018 horror novel by Stephen King
The most popular books in French Wikipedia
- The Plague – French novel by Albert Camus
- La Princesse de Clèves – 1678 novel usually attributed to Madame de La Fayette
- The Eyes of Darkness – American thriller novel by Dean Koontz
- The Red and the Black – French novel by Stendhal
- 1984 – dystopian novel written by George Orwell
- Animal Farm – novel by George Orwell
- Romeo and Juliet – tragedy by William Shakespeare
- The Stranger – 1942 novel by Albert Camus
- Les Misérables – 1862 Victor Hugo novel
- The Handmaid’s Tale – dystopian science fiction novel
- Candide – book by Voltaire
- Don Quixote – novel by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
- Brave New World – novel by Aldous Huxley
- In Search of Lost Time – novel in seven volumes by Marcel Proust
- The Decameron – 14th-century medieval allegory by Giovanni Boccaccio
- Madame Bovary – 1856 novel by Flaubert
- Revelation of John – Final book of the New Testament
- The Horseman on the Roof – book
- La Fontaine’s Fables – collection of fables assembled by Jean de La Fontaine
- The Last Day of a Condemned Man – novel by Victor Hugo
The most popular books in German Wikipedia
- The Eyes of Darkness – American thriller novel by Dean Koontz
- Unterleuten – novel by Juli Zeh, published in 2016
- The Kangaroo Chronicles
- The Plague – French novel by Albert Camus
- Narcissus and Goldmund – book
- The Decameron – 14th-century medieval allegory by Giovanni Boccaccio
- Love in the Time of Cholera – novel by Colombian Nobel prize winning author Gabriel García Márquez
- Faust: The First Part of the Tragedy – first part of the tragic play Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany – German constitution
- 1984 – dystopian novel written by George Orwell
- The Black Swan – book about mathematical finance
- Revelation of John – Final book of the New Testament
- The Witcher – series of fantasy novels and short stories by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski
- Doom – series of video games and other media
- The Handmaid’s Tale – dystopian science fiction novel
- The Three Investigators – literary work
- The Divine Comedy – epic poem by Dante Alighieri
- Bible – collection of sacred books in Judaism and Christianity
- The Stand – novel by Stephen King
- The Sorrows of Young Werther – autobiographical novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The most popular books in Italian Wikipedia
- The Decameron – 14th-century medieval allegory by Giovanni Boccaccio
- The Betrothed – Italian historical novel by Alessandro Manzoni
- The Divine Comedy – epic poem by Dante Alighieri
- The Plague – French novel by Albert Camus
- Zeno’s Conscience – book by Italo Svevo
- Love in the Time of Cholera – novel by Colombian Nobel prize winning author Gabriel García Márquez
- 1984 – dystopian novel written by George Orwell
- My Brilliant Friend – novel by Elena Ferrante
- The Late Mattia Pascal – 1904 novel by Luigi Pirandello
- Murder on the Orient Express – Novel by Agatha Christie
- Storia di chi fugge e di chi resta
- Bible – collection of sacred books in Judaism and Christianity
- The Last Letters of Jacopo Ortis – book by Ugo Foscolo
- Storia della colonna infame
- Storia della bambina perduta
- Romeo and Juliet – tragedy by William Shakespeare
- Orlando Furioso – epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto
- Inferno – first part of Dante’s Divine Comedy
- One, No one and One Hundred Thousand – book by Luigi Pirandello
- Blindness – novel written by José Saramago
The most popular books in Japanese Wikipedia
- BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense. – Japanese light novel series
- Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu – Japanese light novel series
- KonoSuba – Japanese light novel series
- Les Misérables – 1862 Victor Hugo novel
- That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime – Japanese light novel series
- Sword Art Online – Japanese light novel series
- Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru. – Japanese light novel series
- Your Lie in April – Japanese manga and anime series
- The Irregular at Magic High School – Japanese light novel series
- Saga of Tanya the Evil – Japanese light novel series
- Infinite Dendrogram – Japanese light novel series
- James Bond – media franchise about a British spy
- A Certain Magical Index – Japanese light novel series
- The Rising of the Shield Hero – Japanese light novel series
- Violet Evergarden – Japanese light novel series
- Monogatari – Japanese light novel series
- The Plague – French novel by Albert Camus
- Ascendance of a Bookworm – Japanese light novel series
- Kiki’s Delivery Service – novel by Eiko Kadono
- Strike the Blood – Japanese light novel series
The most popular books in Polish Wikipedia
- The Plague – French novel by Albert Camus
- Pan Tadeusz – epic poem by Adam Mickiewicz
- Love in the Time of Cholera – novel by Colombian Nobel prize winning author Gabriel García Márquez
- Kamienie na szaniec – book
- The Witcher – series of fantasy novels and short stories by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski
- Bogurodzica – musical composition
- In Desert and Wilderness – book by Henryk Sienkiewicz
- The Decameron – 14th-century medieval allegory by Giovanni Boccaccio
- The Doll – novel by Bolesław Prus
- The Divine Comedy – epic poem by Dante Alighieri
- The Little Prince – Novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- Bible – collection of sacred books in Judaism and Christianity
- Latarnik (nowela)
- Revelation of John – Final book of the New Testament
- The Lord of the Rings – 1954–1955 fantasy novel by J. R. R. Tolkien
- The Hobbit – fantasy novel by J. R. R. Tolkien
- Felix, Net i Nika oraz Gang Niewidzialnych Ludzi
- Dziady – literary work
- Laments
- Romeo and Juliet – tragedy by William Shakespeare
The most popular books in Portuguese Wikipedia
- Os Maias – book by Eça de Queirós
- Bible – collection of sacred books in Judaism and Christianity
- Éramos Seis – 1943 Brazilian novel by Maria José Dupré
- Revelation of John – Final book of the New Testament
- Blindness – novel written by José Saramago
- Don Quixote – novel by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
- Baltasar and Blimunda – novel by José Saramago
- 1984 – dystopian novel written by George Orwell
- The Divine Comedy – epic poem by Dante Alighieri
- Sophie’s Choice – novel by William Styron
- Inferno – first part of Dante’s Divine Comedy
- Book of Genesis – the first book of the Holy Bible
- Anne of Green Gables – 1908 Canadian children’s novel,first in a series
- Romeo and Juliet – tragedy by William Shakespeare
- Sword Art Online – Japanese light novel series
- The Lord of the Rings – 1954–1955 fantasy novel by J. R. R. Tolkien
- New Testament – second division of the Christian biblical canon
- The Prince – political treatise by Niccolò Machiavelli
- Frankenstein – 1818 novel by Mary Shelley
- No Game No Life – Japanese light novel series
The most popular books in Russian Wikipedia
- The Master and Margarita – novel by Mikhail Bulgakov
- The Witcher – series of fantasy novels and short stories by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski
- James Bond – media franchise about a British spy
- Doom – series of video games and other media
- 1984 – dystopian novel written by George Orwell
- It’s Me, Eddie – novel by Eduard Limonov
- War and Peace – 1869 novel by Russian author Leo Tolstoy
- The Decameron – 14th-century medieval allegory by Giovanni Boccaccio
- Atlas Shrugged – 1957 novel by Ayn Rand
- Little Women – novel by Louisa May Alcott
- SCP Foundation – online community web-based collaborative writing project
- Crime and Punishment – 1866 Russian-language novel by Dostoyevsky
- The Divine Comedy – epic poem by Dante Alighieri
- Bible – collection of sacred books in Judaism and Christianity
- The 100 – 1978 book by Michael H. Hart
- The Lord of the Rings – 1954–1955 fantasy novel by J. R. R. Tolkien
- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Book by Lewis Carroll
- The Russian Primary Chronicle – literary work
- Dead Souls – literary work by Nikolay Gogol
- And Quiet Flows the Don – novel by Michail Sholokhov
The most popular books in Spanish Wikipedia
- Don Quixote – novel by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
- Bible – collection of sacred books in Judaism and Christianity
- The Decameron – 14th-century medieval allegory by Giovanni Boccaccio
- One Hundred Years of Solitude – novel by Gabriel García Márquez
- The Plague – French novel by Albert Camus
- Lazarillo – Spanish novella
- 1984 – dystopian novel written by George Orwell
- Revelation of John – Final book of the New Testament
- The Divine Comedy – epic poem by Dante Alighieri
- The Lord of the Rings – 1954–1955 fantasy novel by J. R. R. Tolkien
- Romeo and Juliet – tragedy by William Shakespeare
- Love in the Time of Cholera – novel by Colombian Nobel prize winning author Gabriel García Márquez
- The Little Prince – Novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- On the Origin of Species – 1859 book by Charles Darwin
- Popol Vuh – text recounting Maya mythology and history
- Diary of Anne Frank – the various published editions of Anne Frank’s diaries. For the manuscripts, use Q29571913
- Old Testament – part of the Bible written before Jesus
- Little Women – novel by Louisa May Alcott
- New Testament – second division of the Christian biblical canon
- One Thousand and One Nights – collection of west of asia stories and folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age
The most popular books in recent days presented on WikiRank