How many libraries are there?

Answer 1

The actual number of libraries that exist is difficult to determine, due to a number of factors, including:

1. What libraries are included in the count (public libraries, academic libraries, government libraries, corporate libraries, etc).
2. How a "library" is defined (mobile libraries vs. traditional libraries vs. digital libraries vs. private libraries)
3. Whether or not each branch of a library system is included in the count
4. Issues with collecting these numbers (not all countries are interested or willing to participate in such statistics, and not all countries are even aware of just how many libraries they have)

Here are some available statistics on the number of libraries that exist in specific countries:

United States (121,169)

8,951 Public libraries

3,689 Academic libraries

8,014 Special libraries

275 Armed forces libraries

1,060 Government libraries

99,180 School libraries

Canada (18,605)

3,415 Public libraries

732 Academic libraries

7 National Special libraries

14,451 school libraries

United Kingdom (5,502)

4,517 Public Libraries

979 Academic Libraries

6 National Libraries