Top 10 Most Popular Magazines Read by Audiences Worldwide

Time has long been a renowned American news magazine and website, published and headquartered in New York City. For nearly a century, it was a weekly publication. The magazine maintains an online archive of all its published articles, which are indexed and converted from scanned images using optical character recognition technology. Minor text errors are remnants of the digital conversion process.

Some of Time's most notable articles throughout its history include its annual cover story, "Person of the Year" (previously "Man of the Year"), which highlights individuals or groups who have had the most significant impact on global news during the past year. Time's circulation surpassed 175,000 copies in 1927, establishing it as one of the most influential news publications in the United States. By 2012, Time had a massive circulation of over 3.3 million copies, making it the 11th highest-circulating magazine in the U.S. and the second-most circulated weekly publication after People. In 2017, Time Inc. agreed to sell itself to Meredith Corporation in a deal worth nearly $3 billion.

Forbes is a well-known American business magazine owned by Forbes, Inc. Published bi-weekly, it covers original articles on finance, industry, investments, and marketing. Forbes also provides accurate information on related topics such as technology, media, science, and law. Headquartered in New York City, Forbes was founded in 1917 by Bertie Charles Forbes, a business columnist for William Randolph Hearst's newspaper chain. It remained the only major business magazine in the U.S. throughout the 1920s until competitors like Business Week and Fortune entered the market.

Forbes offers articles on topics including investments, finance, marketing, and industry, as well as coverage on science, technology, law, media, and politics. The magazine also publishes international editions for readers around the world. Over the years, Forbes has become known for its rankings, including the Forbes 400, a list of the 400 wealthiest individuals in the U.S. Additionally, the Forbes Global 2000 ranks the top 2000 companies worldwide based on profits, market value, sales, and assets.

Reader's Digest is a monthly family-oriented magazine based in the United States, and it holds the title for the highest circulation of any periodical worldwide. First published in 1922, the magazine featured condensed articles offering both entertainment and current affairs content, sourced from other publications. By the end of the 20th century, Reader’s Digest had 39 international editions in 15 languages, with a total circulation of 28 million. Known for its compact size, with pages half the size of a standard magazine, Reader's Digest was for many years one of the best-selling consumer magazines in the U.S.

The global editions of Reader’s Digest reach over 40 million readers in more than 70 countries and territories, through 49 versions translated into 21 different languages. The magazine's global circulation stands at an enormous 10.5 million copies, making it the largest paid-circulation magazine in the world. Reader’s Digest is also available in Braille, digital formats, audio, and a larger-print edition called "Reader’s Digest Large Print." The magazine is famous for its compact design, with pages half the size of most current U.S. magazines.

Game Informer is a monthly video game magazine based in the U.S. that features articles, news, strategies, and reviews on video games and related gaming consoles. It was officially launched in 1991 when the video game retailer FucoLand began publishing its own internal newsletter. The publication is now owned and published by GameStop, which acquired FucoLand in 2000. As a result, the magazine benefits from extensive promotional campaigns at GameStop retail locations, contributing to its success.

Game Informer primarily covers strategies, news, and reviews for video games, focusing on platforms like the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, and Xbox One. By 2010, the magazine had become the fifth-largest publication in the U.S., with 5 million copies sold, surpassing famous titles like Time, Sports Illustrated, and Playboy. By 2011, it had grown even further, ranking as the third-largest magazine with 8 million copies in circulation. More recent figures show that Game Informer remains in the fourth spot, with over 7 million copies sold. Since 2022, GameStop has continued to own the magazine, using its stores for promotion. Although Game Informer has increasingly shifted focus to digital content since the 2010s, print editions are still available for purchase.

National Geographic is one of the most iconic monthly magazines, renowned for its photojournalism. Originally published in 1888, it started as an academic journal before becoming the globally recognized publication it is today. Covering a broad range of topics including history, science, culture, and geography, National Geographic has been a leader in environmental reporting in recent years. Under the editorial guidance of Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor, the magazine reached a circulation of 1,000,000 copies by 1926. Today, it is published in 29 languages worldwide.

Known for being one of the first magazines to publish color photographs, National Geographic became famous for its striking imagery of underwater life, aerial views from the stratosphere, and wildlife in their natural habitats (with a focus on endangered or exotic species). The magazine gained international fame for its in-depth and richly illustrated articles about different geographical regions. In 2008, National Geographic won three National Magazine Awards. It has also received three prestigious awards from the American Society of Magazine Editors. More recently, in 2020, it earned a Webby Award for Best Magazine Website.

Family Circle is an American magazine focused on topics related to homemaking, cooking, and women's interests such as health and family life. The publication, which began in 1932, was originally aimed at mothers and wives, and was distributed for free at Piggly Wiggly supermarkets until 1946, when it became a paid publication. In 1971, The New York Times Company acquired Family Circle to reach its female readers. The magazine was later sold to Gruner + Jahr in 1994.

In 2005, when Gruner + Jahr left the U.S. magazine market, Family Circle was sold to Meredith Corporation. Between 1973 and 2015, the magazine was the primary sponsor of the professional women's tennis event, the Family Circle Cup (Charleston Open), held at the Family Circle Tennis Center in Charleston, South Carolina. Today, based in New York City, Family Circle has an annual circulation of around 4 million copies. It was the first Meredith publication to make it into this list.

People, based in New York, is one of the best-selling weekly magazines worldwide and is the most profitable asset of its publisher, Time Inc. Known for its in-depth reporting on celebrities and political figures, People has earned a trusted place in American pop culture by avoiding the publication of unfounded rumors. Regular features include celebrity news, fashion guides, film and music reviews, and human interest stories about ordinary people facing extraordinary challenges.

With a readership of over 45 million adults, People is one of the largest magazines in the U.S. In 2011, it generated more advertising revenue than any other American magazine, totaling $997 million. Famous for its celebrity gossip and annual special issues like the 'Oscar Style' and 'Sexiest Man Alive,' People has been a staple of the magazine industry since its debut in 1974. The 'Sexiest Man Alive' issue has been published since 1985, making it a long-standing tradition. While People remains successful in print, it also has a popular online presence, primarily focused on stories related to celebrities and the internet.

Watchtower is a religious magazine published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Since 1990, it has been distributed for free, funded by voluntary donations from the public and Jehovah's Witnesses. Used in congregational meetings worldwide (available in 418 languages), it has an average monthly circulation of 14 million copies. Each issue features Bible articles that focus on specific themes, with topics changing from one edition to the next.

Articles in Watchtower are written by committees from branch offices around the world, then reviewed, edited, and translated by magazine editors before being published. All contributors to the magazine are volunteers. In the past, each issue contained Bible study articles and other regular features, distributed to the public. It is the most widely circulated magazine globally, with its companion publication, Awake!, being the second most widely distributed worldwide, according to the Top 5 Best Magazines Worldwide report.

Awake! is a bi-monthly religious magazine published by Jehovah's Witnesses and is the second most widely distributed magazine worldwide. Published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, it is considered a companion publication to Watchtower Magazine. Although less familiar to some readers in the U.S., the Watchtower Association reports a global circulation of around 31.5 million copies per issue, available in 216 languages and printed in 19 countries.

The first issue of Awake! was released in 1919, focusing mainly on topics related to Bible history, health, and nature. Traditionally distributed, Awake! is primarily shared through personal visits during house-to-house preaching or left in public places like libraries and bus stops. Until 2005, Awake! was published monthly in major languages, with some editions also published quarterly in select languages. Since January 2016, it has been published bi-monthly, with a further reduction to three issues annually starting in January 2018.

AARP The Magazine is the largest circulation magazine in the world, catering to millions of AARP members and Americans aged 50 and older. As the ultimate guide to life for older adults, this award-winning publication features in-depth celebrity interviews, expert columns, health and finance tips, travel stories, food reviews, consumer insights, and book and movie critiques. Published six times a year, it remains the go-to lifestyle magazine for adults in the United States.

Originally launched in 1958 under the name Modern Maturity, the magazine was later divided into two editions—one for AARP members aged 59–65 and another for those over 65. Sent to every AARP member, it is the most widely distributed magazine in the U.S. In 2015 alone, over 23 million copies were printed. The magazine focuses heavily on topics related to health, aging, and often features interviews with influential seniors from around the world.