The 44th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) concluded with a 12-day programme that drew 1,400,730 visitors from 206 countries, reinforcing Sharjah’s status as a major global hub for culture, books, and industry exchange. Under the theme ‘Between You and a Book’, the fair delivered one of its most internationally diverse editions, with 2,350 publishers and exhibitors from 118 countries, and a rights-trading environment unmatched anywhere else in the world.
Sharjah maintained its position as the world’s largest marketplace for buying and selling publishing rights, a distinction it has held for five consecutive years. During the two-day Sharjah Publishers Conference, 1,599 publishers from 116 countries conducted 3,321 rights meetings, signaling continued confidence in Sharjah as a centre for commercial and creative collaboration.
Attendance patterns reflected broad demographic appeal. Visitors aged 35-44 formed the largest segment at 29 per cent, followed by those aged 25-34 at 28 per cent, while more than 125,890 school students took part in dedicated educational, literary and cultural activities. A total of 87,674 visitors used marine transport from Al Qasba and the Sharjah Aquarium. Satisfaction rates remained high, reaching 96.3 per cent among visitors, 90.91 per cent among exhibitors, and 97.14 per cent among Publishers Conference participants.
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The 44th edition continued to build on Sharjah’s long-term cultural strategy shaped by Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. As part of his commitment to strengthening public access to knowledge, a Dh4.5 million grant was allocated to replenish public and government library collections with new works showcased at the fair.
His directives were advanced under the supervision of Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), through a dedicated initiative to waive participation fees for Sudanese publishers. The announcement supported publishers facing economic and humanitarian pressures while ensuring Sudanese writers and cultural producers remained visible and engaged within the regional and global publishing landscape.
