The Top 15 World’s Most Popular Magazines 2024

The most popular magazines in the world are periodical publications that millions of people will always love to read. In comparison to books, magazines offer more latest information and cater to specialized interests. 

They are typically easier to read since they include appealing graphics and images. In this article, you will get to know the reasons these magazines mentioned on this list are famous and their number of copies in millions that are in circulation and lots more.

These are the world's most popular magazines 2024, they are, 

• The Watchtower (Public Edition)
• Awake!
• AARP The Magazine
• AARP Bulletin 
• ADAC Motorwelt
• American MainStreet
• Better Homes and Gardens
• Game Informer (GI)
• Chinese Gushi Hui
• People
• Good Housekeeping
• Reader Digest 
• Southern Living

And three more well-known top magazines, check them out.

Keep reading!

1. The Watchtower (Public Edition) – The Most Popular Magazine in the World 

The watchtower is a famous religious magazine published and distributed by Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide. It has the largest circulation, distributed in 236 lands. Over 42 million of each issue are printed and distributed worldwide. 

The magazine is available in more than 300 languages including sign languages.  Both printed and electronic formats of this magazine are available. The Watchtower explains the relevance of current world events from the perspective of biblical prophecy. 

It encourages trust in God and Jesus Christ. It also provides consolation in the form of the good news of God's Kingdom. Many people have found the magazine helpful. The Watchtower is the most viewed magazine in the world. You can check the publications here.

The first issue was produced in July 1879 and it was named ‘Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence’ then. It was finally renamed The Watchtower in 1931. Since that time (143 years ago), The Watchtower has been known by people, and it is found in many people’s homes around the globe. 

 

2. Awake!                                              

Awake! Is the second among the most popular magazines in the world right now that each issue, 41 million copies are distributed worldwide. Just like The Watchtower, it is a religious magazine distributed by Jehovah’s Witnesses. 

Annually, copies of more than 280 million are published in 211 languages. The Watchtower and Awake! are unique magazines in that they do not carry price tags or advertisements, they are only financed by voluntary contribution. 

It is a magazine loved by many people around the world because it has a public appeal. The magazine teaches us how to deal with today's problems and increases faith in the Creator's assurance of a secure and peaceful new world. 

The first issue was announced in September 1919, it was then known as ‘The Golden Age’. To emphasize the importance of comfort, the magazine's name was renamed Consolation in 1937 from ‘The Golden Age’. 

To highlight that readers should be conscious of the spiritual significance of the times, the journal was eventually called Awake! in 1946. The distribution of the magazine has existed for now more than a century. It is one of the top intellectual magazines as well.

 

3. AARP The Magazine                       

Image credit: Freeportpress

 It is a paid-for magazine published by AARP (American Association of Retired Persons). It is a social welfare organization that caters to persons over the age of 50. The number of copies of this magazine in circulation is above 22.7 million. 

The first issue was released in 1958 named ‘Modern Maturity’ and as AARP The Magazine in 2002. The magazine is available in the English language. 

The goal of AARP is to improve everyone's quality of life, as people get older by promoting social change and offering members benefits including advocacy, support, and information. Ethel Percy Andrus, a retired educator from California, established AARP in 1958. Throughout the 50 states of the United States, there are AARP offices. 

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4. AARP Bulletin                                   

Image credit: Occupant.typenetwork.com

Just like AARP The Magazine, AARP Bulletin targets people of 50+ age. It is published by the same publisher, AARP. The AARP Bulletin comes out monthly (or every 5 weeks), whereas AARP The Magazine comes out every two months. 

According to the Alliance for Audited Media in June 2022, this magazine has a total paid and verification circulation of 22.5 million copies. This brings it among the top most famous English magazines in the world in 2024. 

It is published 10 times a year. The Bulletin's reporters provide all the health, financial, and lifestyle content older people need and desire. It also keeps informing them on problems impacting older Americans in a timely and relevant manner.

 

5. ADAC Motorwelt                                

Image credit: Christiankerber

It is Germany’s automobile and travel magazine, published in Munich, Germany. It is an ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club e.V.) membership publication. It is one of the world's top 10 most popular magazines in 2024 and of course the largest in Germany. 

It has an average circulation of well over 13 million. It is the largest European automobile magazine about 12 years ago, 13,808,111 copies of this magazine were circulated. The magazine focuses on travel-related topics and on cars. 

The magazine features news about new model previews, motorsports, and road tests. Based on reader voting, it produces a number of lists and gives out awards, such as "Germany's Favorite Car." It is a monthly magazine that was founded in 1925 (that is 97 years ago). 

However, in the year 2020, ADAC Motorwelt started publishing quarterly. From that time, the Burda affiliate BCN began to manage every aspect of the magazine distribution and production, including editing services, marketing and printing. 

 

6. American MainStreet                     

Image credit: American Mainstreet Publications / Facebook 

It is a magazine published by AMP (American MainStreet Publications). On average, the American MainStreet magazine has a circulation of 9.8 million. It is the most extensive American network of magazines specializing in rural living. 

From its distribution statistics, it is among the most famous English magazine in the world. These periodicals have been a staple of rural American family life for more than 65 years now, and among its readers, they have developed into a multigenerational tradition. 

7. Better Homes and Gardens           

Image credit: Folio:

It is a magazine published 12 times per year and its topics include, decorating, interior design, healthy living, crafts, gardening, cooking, and homes. It is a magazine published by Dotdash Meredith (USA) and by Pacific Magazines (Australia). 

More than 7.6 million copies that are paid for and verified are in circulation. It is undoubtedly one of the top 10 most popular magazines in the world in 2024. In 1922, Edwin Meredith founded this magazine; he was the Secretary of Agriculture under Woodrow Wilson in the United States. 

For two years, from the time it was founded, it was called ‘Fruit’. It was later renamed Better Homes and Gardens (BHG). This magazine is one of the collections of women's service publications. 

It is a publication that is easier to read and use by its readers, as the magazine has an unusual layout. This gives it a special touch: rather than the standard front, middle, and back sections, it offers a variety of categories with a few short pieces spread about. 

8. Game Informer (GI)                          

Image credit: Folio:

Close to BHG magazine is Game Informer, which has a circulation of around 7.58 million copies. Sometimes, it is written as gameinformer. It is a monthly magazine published in the United States that covers video games, strategies for video games, reviews, news, articles, and the platforms they are played on. 

It was launched in August 1991 when FuncoLand, a retailer of video games, began producing an internal newsletter. GameStop, which acquired FuncoLand in the year 2000, is the current owner and publisher of the magazine. 

At the time it debuted, it was a six-page magazine that is released every two months, and then in 1994, it becomes monthly.  But now the frequency is 10 per year that is one magazine every 5 weeks. As a result, the magazine receives a lot of in-store marketing, which has helped it to succeed. 

By the number of copies disseminated as mentioned above, it is one of the top 10 most popular magazines in the world. Game Informer changed its concentration to be more online-based some years back now.  Its website was launched as far back as August 1996 as the Game Informer Online.

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9. Chinese Gushi Hui (stories)           

It is a twice-monthly literary magazine in Chinese that is produced in Chifeng, China. Shanghai Literature and Arts Publishing is this magazine's publisher. The publication primarily publishes short stories. 

However, it also had a huge impact on China's shift from Maoist politics to a liberal economy throughout the 1990s. It has strengthened its position as the most popular, lucrative, adaptive, and politically acceptable cultural periodical produced in the People's Republic of China. 

In 1963, the publication started out as Geming Gushihui in Shanghai. Unfortunately, during the Cultural Revolution, its publishing was stopped. The publication began to be published and circulated again in 1974. The word "revolutionary" was removed when the publication's name was changed to Gushi Hui in 1979. 

10. People                                            

Image credit: WWD 

It is a weekly publication published in the United States and Dotdash Meredith, a division of IAC, is the publisher. It is known for its coverage of celebrities and for its topics on human interest. It has 3.4 million copies in circulation according to AAM.  

The first issue was released on March 4, 1974. It has the biggest advertising income of any American magazine in 2011 with a revenue of $997 million. The annual special editions of People’s magazine that name the "Sexiest Man Alive", "Best & Worst Dressed," and the "World's Most Beautiful are undoubtedly its most well-known features. 

The publication has a dependable reputation in American popular culture for its close coverage of politicians and celebrities and for its adamant reluctance to disseminate false rumors.

11. Good Housekeeping                        

Image credit: Informationng

In 1885, American poet and publisher Clark W. Bryan established Good Housekeeping. It is a monthly magazine published by Hearst Magazines and in circulation, it has 3.0 million copies. 

It is an American women's magazine that publishes articles on topics relevant to women, in addition to recipes, articles on nutrition and health, and reviews of products conducted by The Good Housekeeping Institute. 

Popularly recognized as the "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval," this limited warranty program is highly renowned for its "Good Housekeeping Seal." It is one of the three "Seven Sisters" publications currently available in print, a set of women's service publications.

12. Reader Digest                                  

Printed ten times a year in the United States, Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine. It has around 5.6 million copies in circulation. DeWitt Wallace and his wife, Lila Bell Wallace founded this magazine in 1922. 

This magazine held the title of best-selling consumer magazine in the US for a long time before losing it to Better Homes and Gardens in 2009. Before dropping to where it is now among the most popular magazines in the world today, it had a greater readership even among households earning $100,000 or more. 

This is high compared to Inc., Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, and Fortune when put together according to Mediamark Research (2006).

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13. Southern Living                                 

Image credit: Marissa Hermanson

It is a monthly publication that was established in February 1966. It was known as Progressive Farmer magazine when it was founded and the name of the company was later changed in 1980 to Southern Progress Corporation. 

Renaming it helps to better represent its expanding range of commercial interests. It is a lifestyle magazine that has a circulation of 2.83 million. 

It is a magazine that features recipes, house designs, garden plans, and details on Southern culture and tourism. Southern Living is a lifestyle publication targeted at readers in the South of the USA. 

It is produced by Southern Progress Corporation, a division of Dotdash Meredith of IAC, with headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama. It was bought by Time, Inc. in 1985 in the amount of $498 million. The Meredith Corporation now acquired it from Time, Inc. in 2017.

 14. Real Simple                                    

Image credit:  Freemagazines.top

Dotdash Meredith is the publisher of this monthly American publication named, Real Simple. The publication includes articles and advice about parenting, housework, cooking, and emotional health. 

The total number of copies paid and verified in circulation is 1.98 million. The larger percentage of its readers are women, that is 90% of its monthly readers. It was founded in the year 2000 and the first issue was released in April, of the same year. 

The magazine stands out for its photographs and layout styles because they are simple and uncomplicated.

15. Us Weekly                                       

Image credit: Freemagazines.top

It was formerly known as the Entertainment Magazine, and Us and Us. As the name says, it is a weekly published magazine that features American celebrity news. 

It discusses a variety of subjects, including the newest fashion, beauty, and entertainment trends as well as celebrity relationships. It has an average weekly circulation of more than 1.97 million copies. It was launched by the New York Times Co. in 1977. 

Then in 1980, MacFadden Holdings, Inc., and Warner Communications Inc. purchased the publication. And in 2017, it was owned by American Media Inc. Absolutely, Us Weekly is among the most popular magazines in the world in 2024. 

16. National Geographic                       

Image credit: 121clicks

It is produced by the National Geographic Society, a nonprofit organization, that started publishing the magazine in 1888,  in Washington DC, USA. 

The journal was initially intended by the group to focus only on the United States, but due to the nature of its contents, it quickly became a publication with a global perspective. It is one of the top international magazines. 

Previously more than 10 million copies of this magazine are in circulation but it dropped to about 1.82 million copies in 2022 possibly because people are shifting more to their online content. Yet, it is still among the top most popular magazines in the world. 

It is a monthly publication that covers geography, exploration, anthropology, and archaeology. It offers literate, accurate accounts, as well as the best images and maps available, to help readers who prefer to stay at home understand any of these fields of study.

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