THERE’S GRIM NEWS for Ireland’s newspapers today with new circulation figures showing a drop for every single one.

Data published by the UK-based Audit Bureau of Circulations, commissioned by the Irish titles, shows national newspapers have dropped between 0.9% and 11.9% in circulation in the past year.

Daily newspapers have fallen by an average of 7% while Sunday papers have fallen by an average of 6%.

The Sunday Independent remains the best-selling newspaper in the country, despite losing 5.1% of its readers.

The Herald saw the biggest percentage drop at 11.9%, while the Irish Farmers Journal, which has managed to keep its figures consistent in recent years, lost 0.9% of its readers, the smallest drop out of all the national newspapers.

The circulation figures for the first six months of the year are as follows, with the percentage decline compared to this time one year ago in brackets:

Daily newspapers:

• Irish Independent : 112,383 (-7.2%) 
• Irish Times: 80,332 (-4.6%) 
• Irish Daily Star: 61,557 (-8.6%) 
• Irish Sun: 60,711 (-7.0%) 
• The Herald: 51,600 (-11.9%) 
• Daily Mail: 50,032 (-2.3%) 
• Irish Examiner: 35,026 (-7.6%) 

Sunday newspapers (including the Irish Farmers Journal which is weekly)

• Sunday Independent: 220,565 (-5.1%) 
• Sunday World : 198,260 (-6.1%) 
• Mail on Sunday: 100,151 (-5.5%) 
• Irish Farmers Journal: 70,235 (-0.9%)
• Sunday Times: 91,841 (-6.6%) 
• Irish Sun on Sunday: 55,417 (-3.82%) 
• Irish Sunday Mirror: 35,467 (-9.5%) 
• Sunday Business Post: 34,012 (-11.2%) 

The figures are even starker when the number of copies of the paper which are actually sold – as opposed to being given away in places like hotels, for example – are included.

While almost 100% of copies of the Sunday World, Irish Farmers Journal and the Irish Examiner are sold, 87.4% of copies of the Irish Independent are actively purchased and 88.6% of editions of The Irish Times.

Read: Press Council wants to “embrace new as well as legacy media” > 

Read: Almost every newspaper in Ireland lost readers in the second half of 2013 > 

Read: Newspapers record falls in circulation in second half of 2012 > 

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