Which Is the World's Largest Selling English Daily? The Times of India's Dominance Explained

The Times of India isn't just the biggest English newspaper in the world-it's the only one that comes close to matching the circulation of top Japanese dailies. With over 4 million copies printed every day, it sells more than the next three English-language competitors combined. While newspapers in the U.S. and Europe have been shrinking for years, TOI keeps growing, even as digital news takes over elsewhere. How? It’s not magic. It’s strategy, price, and scale.

How TOI Became the World’s Top English Daily

The Times of India started in 1838 as a small colonial paper in Mumbai. Back then, no one could’ve guessed it would one day print more copies daily than most countries’ entire newspaper industries. Fast forward to 2025, and TOI is printed in 21 cities across India, with regional editions tailored to local needs. It’s not just one paper-it’s a network of 21 versions, all under the same brand.

Its secret? It doesn’t compete with Western papers. It doesn’t try to be The New York Times. Instead, it became the local paper for millions of small towns and cities where English is spoken but not always the first language. TOI adds regional supplements in Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, and more-so a reader in Jaipur gets news about local politics, while someone in Bangalore reads about tech startups. The core English content stays the same, but the parts that matter most to daily life? That’s customized.

And then there’s the price. At ₹5 per copy (about 6 cents USD), TOI is cheaper than a cup of chai in most parts of India. Compare that to The Hindu at ₹12 or Hindustan Times at ₹15. When you’re buying a newspaper every day, that difference adds up. For families, offices, and small shops, TOI isn’t a luxury-it’s a daily expense they can afford.

Circulation Numbers That Defy Global Trends

Global newspaper circulation has dropped by nearly 20% since 2020. In the U.S., USA Today’s print run has fallen to just over 100,000 copies. The Wall Street Journal sells around 473,000. The Daily Mail, the UK’s biggest print paper, manages 627,000. None come close.

TOI’s weekday circulation sits at 3.2 million, and on Sundays, it hits 4.1 million. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) and Press Gazette, that makes it the #1 English daily in the world. Even when you look at total readership-people who actually read each copy-it reaches 17 million daily. That’s because one copy is often shared among five or six people: in homes, offices, barber shops, and bus stations.

It’s not just about numbers. It’s about reach. TOI is delivered to over 65,000 pin codes across India-from Mumbai skyscrapers to villages in Odisha. No other English newspaper has that kind of distribution. Even in areas with poor roads or unreliable internet, TOI still arrives. Subscribers in Chennai report 27 years of daily delivery-even during floods.

Why Other English Papers Can’t Catch Up

The Hindu, Hindustan Times, and The Economic Times are all strong papers with loyal readers. But they don’t have TOI’s scale. The Hindu has the highest readership per copy (3.7 people per newspaper), but only 1.5 million copies printed. TOI’s per-copy readership is lower-around 2.8-but it prints over twice as many copies. That’s the difference between being the most-read and the most-distributed.

Western papers can’t replicate TOI’s model. They don’t have the population density, the price sensitivity, or the multilingual infrastructure. A paper like The Guardian or The Washington Post can’t suddenly drop its price to 6 cents without collapsing financially. They also don’t have regional editions tailored to hundreds of local dialects and cultures.

Even in India, TOI’s competitors struggle. HT Media owns Hindustan Times, and The Hindu Group runs its namesake paper. Together, they control about 43% of the English newspaper market. TOI alone controls 63%. It’s not a close race. It’s a landslide.

The Digital Side: Print Still Rules

You’d think in 2026, digital would be king. But in India, 78% of people still prefer reading newspapers in print, according to the 2026 Reuters Institute report. TOI’s digital app has 18 million monthly users and 2.3 million paying subscribers-but print still brings in 65% of its revenue.

TOI’s digital strategy isn’t about replacing print. It’s about supporting it. The app gives users breaking news, video summaries, and personalized headlines. But the print edition? It’s still the main event. People buy it for the depth, the tangibility, the ritual. In small towns, where internet is slow or expensive, the physical paper is the only reliable source of news.

TOI’s recent AI tool, TOI AI Curator, personalizes headlines in the app and pushes alerts based on location and reading habits. It boosted digital engagement by 37%. But here’s the twist: the AI doesn’t replace reporters. It helps them. Journalists now spend less time chasing clicks and more time on investigative stories.

Problems and Criticisms

TOI isn’t perfect. Critics point to sensational headlines in regional editions. A 2024 Reuters Institute study found that some local pages prioritize viral stories over hard news. There’s also content duplication-23% of articles are reused across editions, according to a 2025 audit by the Centre for Media Studies.

Then there’s the paper quality. Since 2022, readers have noticed thinner pages and lower ink clarity. That’s because TOI cut costs to keep the ₹5 price. One reader on Amazon wrote: “It used to feel like a real newspaper. Now it feels like a flyer.”

And the ads. TOI’s advertising-to-editorial ratio is 65:35. That’s way higher than the global average of 50:50. Pages 5 through 15 in many editions are packed with ads-for phones, loans, real estate, and Ayurvedic creams. Some readers call it “a catalog with news in between.”

There’s also inconsistency. A Bangalore reader might miss a story covered in the Delhi edition. Customer service says this happens because regional editors make independent choices. TOI doesn’t have a centralized news desk for all editions.

What Keeps TOI Growing

Despite the problems, TOI’s growth continues. Its expansion into Northeast India-where English readership is rising at 14% a year-is paying off. By 2026, it plans to launch in 10 new cities. Its “SmartPress” technology has cut production time by 22%, saving ₹29 million a month. And its partnership with Meta to deliver news via WhatsApp has reached 8.7 million people.

India’s English-speaking population is expected to hit 250 million by 2027. TOI is betting that most of them will still want a physical paper. And with 87 consecutive years as India’s top English daily, it’s not just betting-it’s proven it can deliver.

How to Subscribe and What to Expect

Signing up for TOI is simple. You can do it online, by phone, or in person at a local distributor. New subscribers usually get their first copy within 2-3 days. The standard edition costs ₹5. The Sunday edition is ₹10. You can also get a multi-edition subscription if you want Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore versions-that costs 1.5 times more.

Each edition has a code: ‘M’ for Mumbai, ‘D’ for Delhi, ‘B’ for Bangalore. Customer service can help you pick the right one. Their WhatsApp support handles 78% of queries within 24 hours. If you need help, call 1800-103-8643. They get over 12,000 calls a day.

Retention is high-87% of people who subscribe for a year stick around. But canceling? That’s harder. You often have to visit the distributor in person. TOI says it’s to prevent fraud. Many subscribers hate it.

Final Verdict: Why TOI Wins

The Times of India isn’t the most respected paper in the world. It’s not the most balanced. It’s not the most elegant. But it’s the most accessible. It’s the paper that shows up on your doorstep every morning, no matter where you live in India. It’s the paper your uncle reads in the barber shop, your teacher keeps on her desk, and your taxi driver leaves on the seat.

It survives because it doesn’t try to be something it’s not. It doesn’t chase global trends. It follows Indian habits: affordability, local relevance, and reliability. And that’s why, in a world where newspapers are fading, TOI is still printing 4 million copies a day-and counting.