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The circulation of the men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine Playboy has dropped significantly in recent years, falling to just over 200 thousand in 2018 from 1.2 million five years earlier. The magazine reported its highest global circulation in 1975, when an average issue sold 5.6 million copies.

Playboy circulation numbers – additional information

Founded in 1953 by the late Hugh Hefner, Playboy is a men’s lifestyle and entertainment magazine. Playboy started in Chicago, and is now published in more than 50 countries. The first foreign edition was launched in Germany in 1972. In 2018, Playboy magazine reached around 740 thousand readers per issue in Germany. The magazine’s logo, which is a silhouette of a rabbit in a tuxedo bow tie, is one of the most recognizable trademarks in the world. Thanks to its strong brand and reputation over the years, Playboy frequently used to feature in a ranking of leading magazines on social media, however the publication's dwindling popularity saw the brand drop off the list. As of March 2016, about 16.82 million people liked Playboy’s page on Facebook, and had 4.6 million Instagram followers, but since then has been overtaken by Vogue, GQ and Vanity Fair amongst others.

Cooper Hefner (son of Hugh Hefner) has made multiple attempts to redefine, rebrand and restyle the publication during his time as chief creative officer, including removing nudity from the magazine and then deciding to include it again shortly afterwards. Despite his efforts, it seems unlikely that Playboy will ever successfully regain the influence or popularity it enjoyed in the 1970s, however the brand itself will likely live on in consumer's memories young and old for many years to come.