How to read this list
Rank
Position in the Top 100, sorted by audience size from largest to smallest. Updated weekly.
Audience size
Estimated number of unique people in South Africa who actively engage with this audience, derived from anonymized search-behavior signals.
Country share
Share of the global audience that is active in South Africa. A higher value means the audience is more locally concentrated here.
Avg age
Average age in years across the people who engage with this audience in South Africa, derived from anonymized search-behavior signals. A dash means demographic data is not yet available.
Female share
Share of women among the people who engage with this audience in South Africa. 50% is gender-balanced; values above mean female-skewed, below mean male-skewed.
Ranking
| Rank | Audience | Audience size | Country share | Avg age | Female share | Subtype |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HHumour | 2.7M | 0.7% | 35.3 | 50.0% | Literary genre |
| 2 | FFiction books | 1.6M | 0.5% | 37.4 | 56.8% | Literary genre |
| 3 | RRomance novels | 1.2M | 0.7% | 38.9 | 60.0% | Literary genre |
| 4 | MMystery fiction | 907k | 0.7% | 38.3 | 56.9% | Literary genre |
| 5 | MManga | 820k | 0.4% | 35.9 | 45.1% | Literary genre |
| 6 | FFairy tale | 726k | 0.6% | 38.2 | 56.9% | Literary genre |
| 7 | NNon-fiction books | 726k | 0.7% | 37.5 | 53.4% | Literary genre |
| 8 | SSatire | 619k | 0.6% | 36.9 | 38.7% | Literary genre |
| 9 | FFandom | 542k | 0.5% | 33.8 | 42.4% | Literary genre |
| 10 | CCrime fiction | 464k | 0.7% | 37.9 | 76.0% | Literary genre |
| 11 | CComic book | 410k | 0.2% | 31.1 | 45.3% | Literary genre |
| 12 | BBestseller | 379k | 0.4% | 40.3 | 64.0% | Literary genre |
| 13 | DDetective fiction | 281k | 0.5% | 41.7 | 77.5% | Literary genre |
| 14 | WWeb fiction | 279k | 0.7% | 41.6 | 65.4% | Literary genre |
| 15 | PPsychological thriller | 267k | 0.5% | 42.3 | 78.7% | Literary genre |
| 16 | CContemporary romance | 222k | 0.5% | 38.9 | 84.8% | Literary genre |
| 17 | AAnime and manga fandom | 185k | 0.1% | 27.0 | 41.9% | Literary genre |
| 18 | WWomen's fiction | 152k | 0.5% | 39.8 | 88.1% | Literary genre |
| 19 | CChildren's literature | 152k | 0.2% | 38.2 | 75.0% | Literary genre |
| 20 | AAmerican comic book | 150k | 0.4% | 30.3 | 42.3% | Literary genre |
| 21 | YYoung-adult fiction | 145k | 0.6% | 39.7 | 52.8% | Literary genre |
| 22 | NNew-adult fiction | 119k | 0.5% | 37.3 | 84.2% | Literary genre |
| 23 | HHistorical fiction | 118k | 0.5% | 34.5 | 68.3% | Literary genre |
| 24 | SSpeculative fiction | 115k | 0.3% | 34.7 | 58.3% | Literary genre |
| 25 | AAdventure fiction | 107k | 0.3% | 36.1 | 48.8% | Literary genre |
Want the full picture for any of these audiences?
Open any profile to see psychographics, top regions, peer affinities and demographic splits — all derived from the same anonymized signals.
Frequently asked questions
How is this list of the most popular literary genres compiled?
Rascasse aggregates anonymized search-behavior signals across South Africa and ranks each literary genre by its estimated audience size. Only entries with at least 5 measured entities are listed.
How often is the list updated?
The ranking is refreshed weekly from the latest search-behavior data and re-published as a static page.
What is the largest literary genre in South Africa?
Humour currently leads with an estimated audience of 2.7M people in South Africa.