Most Popular Newspaper in India
India has one of the world’s largest and most diverse newspaper industries, with popular publications available in English, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Malayalam, Gujarati, Kannada, and other regional languages. Some of the widely recognized newspapers include The Times of India, The Hindu, Hindustan Times, The Indian Express, Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar, and Amar Ujala. These newspapers cover national and international news, politics, business, sports, entertainment, education, technology, and regional events. With both print and digital editions, India’s leading newspapers serve millions of readers and remain an important source of daily information across the country.
India is home to one of the largest and most diverse newspaper industries in the world. With over 100 languages and dialects, hundreds of millions of daily readers, and a print culture that continues to thrive even in the digital age, India's newspaper landscape offers something for everyone — from Hindi and English dailies to strong regional players in Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, and Marathi. India's newspaper industry serves a daily circulation market of more than 240 million copies, with Dainik Jagran, Malayala Manorama, and the Times of India leading regional-language dominance.
Why Newspaper Popularity Still Matters in the Digital Age
Even as smartphones and news apps become the default source of information for younger Indians, print newspapers retain enormous influence and trust. Print remains resilient with roughly 45% reach in urban areas, even as digital news platforms grow due to rising smartphone penetration. Newspapers are still considered a primary source of local news, government announcements, obituaries, matrimonial listings, and classified advertisements in many parts of the country — particularly in regional languages.
Understanding which newspapers are the most popular is useful for several groups of readers and professionals:
General readers wanting reliable, high-circulation news sources
Advertisers and marketers planning print or digital ad campaigns
Students and researchers studying media and journalism
NRIs and diaspora communities looking for trusted regional news portals, especially in Bengali
Let's dive into the newspapers that top the charts.
Top 10 Most Popular Newspapers in India
1. Dainik Jagran (Hindi)
Website: www.jagran.com
Dainik Jagran is India's most widely read newspaper, with 6.84 crore (68.4 million) readers across 73 editions. It maintains the highest readership in the country at 16.87 million on a per-issue basis according to some circulation studies. Founded in 1942 in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, by Puranchand Gupta, Dainik Jagran is published by Jagran Prakashan Limited, a media company listed on both the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange. It remains the undisputed leader among Hindi dailies and, by most readership surveys, the single most-read newspaper in the entire country.
2. Dainik Bhaskar (Hindi)
Website: www.bhaskar.com
Dainik Bhaskar leads India's newspaper market by print circulation, with 3.56 million copies sold daily. It ranks second in readership with 5.72 crore (57.2 million) readers. Known for its strong local coverage and hyper-local editions across multiple Hindi-speaking states, Dainik Bhaskar has built a reputation for people-focused, ground-level reporting that resonates deeply with readers in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, and beyond.
3. Amar Ujala (Hindi)
Website: www.amarujala.com
Amar Ujala has 4.63 crore (46.3 million) readers, making it one of the top three Hindi dailies in the country. Headquartered in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, Amar Ujala has a circulation of approximately 1.74 million copies and a readership of around 9.65 million, ranking it as the fourth-largest daily newspaper in India by readership. It has expanded to 22 editions across six Indian states and two union territories, covering 180 districts, and its website, amarujala.com, attracts over 60 million users across India.
4. Hindustan (Hindi)
Website: www.livehindustan.com
Hindustan has 3.80 crore (38 million) readers, making it a dominant force in the Hindi belt. Established by Madan Mohan Malaviya on April 12, 1936, and currently managed by HT Media Ltd under editor-in-chief Shashi Shekhar, Hindustan has a circulation of approximately 1.67 million copies, ranking as the second largest-read daily in India. It runs 21 editions across the Hindi belt — including Delhi, Haryana, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand — and holds a commanding 73% share of the Hindi readership market in Bihar, while remaining the most-read newspaper in Jharkhand and holding the highest readership in Uttarakhand.
5. The Times of India (English)
Website: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Founded in 1838, The Times of India is one of India's oldest and most influential English newspapers, with a daily circulation exceeding 3 million copies. It is the largest circulated English-language daily newspaper in the world across all formats — Broadsheet, Compact, Berliner, and Online — and is owned by The Times Group. It began in 1838 as The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce, originally created for British residents in western India, and today publishes 55 editions covering business, technology, cricket, entertainment, travel, and real estate. Among English-speaking Indians, The Times of India has consistently recorded the highest average readership.
6. The Hindu (English)
Website: www.thehindu.com
Founded in 1878, The Hindu is a respected English-language daily with a circulation of about 1.5 million copies, known for its in-depth journalism and analytical, balanced reporting on politics, culture, and current affairs. Headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is considered one of India's oldest and most respected English newspapers. The Hindu is widely regarded as one of the most trusted newspapers in India.
7. Hindustan Times (English)
Website: www.hindustantimes.com
Launched in 1924, Hindustan Times is a major English-language newspaper with a daily circulation of approximately 1.4 million copies, well-regarded for its engaging editorials and extensive national and international coverage.
8. The Economic Times (English, Business)
Website: economictimes.indiatimes.com
Established in 1961, The Economic Times is India's leading business newspaper, circulating over 1.2 million copies daily, and provides detailed analysis on economic and financial news for business professionals and corporate executives.
9. Malayala Manorama (Malayalam)
Website: www.manoramaonline.com
Malayala Manorama is among the most avidly read regional publications in India, and it remains the dominant newspaper in Kerala, with a legacy stretching back to the 19th century. Its digital arm, Manorama Online, has grown into one of the most-visited regional news portals in the country.
10. Daily Thanthi / Dina Thanthi (Tamil)
Website: www.dailythanthi.com
Daily Thanthi has around 1.40 crore (14 million) readers, making it the leading Tamil-language daily in the country. Founded in 1942 and headquartered in Chennai, Dina Thanthi has a readership of about 8 million and is known for its straightforward, accessible reporting style, making it a daily essential for Tamil households across the state.
Most Popular Bengali Newspapers in India
Since Bengali readers form a large and passionate audience across West Bengal, Tripura, and the wider Indian diaspora, here's a closer look at the leading Bengali-language dailies.
Anandabazar Patrika (ABP)
Website: www.anandabazar.com
Anandabazar Patrika is a Bengali-language broadsheet daily newspaper published in Kolkata and owned by the ABP Group. First issued on 13 March 1922 as a four-page evening paper, it earned the nickname "danger signal" in the contemporary British press for its bold anti-colonial stance. It has grown into one of India's most influential regional-language newspapers and remains the clear market leader in Bengali journalism.
Anandabazar Patrika ranks 12th among all Indian-language newspapers in the Indian Readership Survey (IRS) and fifth among regional newspapers, making it the top Bengali newspaper with around 1.2 million readers in that survey. The company's own website has claimed a readership of nearly six million. Today, the ABP Group has expanded well beyond print into television and digital media, and it also publishes the widely respected English-language paper, The Telegraph.
One of Anandabazar Patrika's oldest and most established competitors, Bartaman is a major rival in the West Bengal newspaper market, known for its populist tone and strong regional loyalty among readers, particularly in Kolkata and rural Bengal.
Launched by the Times of India Group to compete directly with ABP, Ei Samay entered the market on 15 October 2012 and positioned itself as a lower-priced alternative to Anandabazar Patrika, aiming to capture a share of Kolkata's Bengali readership.
Sangbad Pratidin, Aajkal, and Ganashakti
These titles round out the competitive Bengali newspaper landscape alongside Jago Bangla, Uttarbanga Sangbad, and Dainik Statesman, each carving out loyal regional readerships, especially outside Kolkata in districts like North Bengal.
For readers who want a single destination to browse Bengali newspaper headlines, e-papers, and regional updates from West Bengal and beyond, platforms like allbanglapaper.com aggregate news from these leading Bengali publications, making it easier to stay updated without switching between multiple newspaper websites and apps.
Newspaper Popularity by Category
Most Popular by Readership (All Languages)
Dainik Jagran — 6.84 crore readers
Dainik Bhaskar — 5.72 crore readers
Amar Ujala — 4.63 crore readers
Hindustan — 3.80 crore readers
Daily Thanthi — 1.40 crore readers
Most Popular English Newspapers
The Indian Express — founded in 1932, with a daily circulation of around 1 million copies, known for investigative journalism and a strong editorial stance.
Most Popular Regional-Language Newspapers
Why Dainik Jagran and Dainik Bhaskar Dominate the Charts
It's worth understanding why Hindi newspapers consistently top India's readership charts. Hindi is spoken and read by the largest population bloc in India, spanning Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, and several other states. This massive linguistic base, combined with decades of hyper-local, district-level editions, gives Hindi dailies an enormous structural advantage over English-language papers, which cater primarily to urban, English-educated readers.
Regional-language newspapers like Anandabazar Patrika, Malayala Manorama, and Dina Thanthi follow a similar playbook: deep local coverage, strong emotional connection with readers, and decades of brand trust built through consistent, community-focused journalism.
Print vs Digital: How Indians Read the News in 2026
While the digital newspaper and magazine market in India continues to see steady growth driven by rising smartphone penetration, print remains resilient, holding roughly 45% reach in urban India. Most major newspapers — including all the titles listed above — now operate robust digital editions, e-papers, and mobile apps alongside their print operations. This hybrid model allows publishers to retain older, loyal print readers while capturing younger audiences who prefer scrolling through headlines on their phones.
For Bengali readers specifically, digital-first platforms and e-paper aggregators have become especially popular because they let readers access Anandabazar Patrika, Bartaman, Sangbad Pratidin, and other Bengali dailies from a single place — useful for the Bengali diaspora living outside West Bengal or even outside India.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Which is the most popular newspaper in India?
Ans: Dainik Jagran is India's most widely read newspaper, with 6.84 crore readers across 73 editions, making it the single most popular newspaper in the country by readership.
Q2. Which is the largest English newspaper in India?
The Times of India is considered the largest English newspaper in India in terms of both readership and circulation.
Q3. Which is the most trusted newspaper in India?
The Hindu is widely regarded as one of the most trusted newspapers in India, largely due to its long-standing reputation for balanced, analytical journalism.
Q4. Which is the most popular Bengali newspaper?
Anandabazar Patrika is the top Bengali newspaper, with a dominant position in West Bengal and a legacy dating back to 1922.
Q5. What is the top-selling newspaper in India by print circulation?
Dainik Bhaskar leads by print circulation, with 3.56 million copies sold daily.
Q6. Is print newspaper readership declining in India?
Not dramatically. Print remains resilient, holding around 45% reach in urban areas even as digital platforms grow due to increasing smartphone penetration. India remains one of the few large markets where print circulation has stayed relatively stable compared to Western countries.
Final Thoughts: India's newspaper industry is a fascinating mix of legacy and innovation — century-old mastheads like Anandabazar Patrika and The Times of India now sit alongside sleek mobile apps and e-papers, serving both loyal print subscribers and a new generation of digital-first readers. Hindi newspapers like Dainik Jagran and Dainik Bhaskar lead the country by sheer volume, English dailies like The Times of India and The Hindu shape national discourse and business decisions, and strong regional players like Anandabazar Patrika, Malayala Manorama, and Dina Thanthi keep local communities informed and engaged in their own language.
For Bengali readers in particular, having a reliable, centralized source for Bengali news — whether it's Anandabazar Patrika, Bartaman, Sangbad Pratidin, or Ei Samay — makes it much easier to stay connected to news from West Bengal, no matter where in the world you're reading from.