Tarot Statistics

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 15 Mar 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Rusty Neon	15 Mar 2004
Hi .... I am curious if any statistics have been compiled as to tarot purchases and use. For example: - How many tarot decks are sold in the USA (or other country) each year? - How many Rider-Waite decks in the USA (or the world) are sold each year? - How many Thoth decks are sold in the USA (or the world) each year? - How many Tarot de Marseille decks are sold in France each year? - How many tarot decks does Manufacturer X, Y or Z (or Amazon) sell each year? - What percentage of the population of the USA (or other country) has purchased a tarot deck? - What percentage of the USA (or other country) has had or has given a tarot reading?

cartarum	15 Mar 2004
im not sure if anyone here can answer that you might have to talk to us games or someone about that. what do you really want to know?

punchinella	15 Mar 2004
Good questions! Things I too would like to know (but probably never will . . . ) Oh, wait, how about asking RiccardoLS, he's Lo Scarabeo, maybe he'd know something? Or . . . well, baba-prague . . . but honestly I doubt she'd know stuff like that, with no big company affiliation. Hmmmn. Who else here is 'connected'??? --I'm sure companies like Llewellyn/US Games/even Amazon.com have done market research. If you're serious it would only be a matter of getting them to talk. P.

Kiama	16 Mar 2004
This is something I'd definitely like to know, especially the last 2 questions. A while ago, I came across a study done on college/University students around the world, looking at their religious beliefs and esoteric beliefs. There was only a tiny half-question on Tarot though. :( But I'd be interested to know how many people have bought/owned a Tarot deck at least. (I estimate that the number will be higher than the number of people who seriously study Tarot...) Kiama

Alissa	16 Mar 2004
You may wish to call or visit a library for some of those questions. When working, I was able to track down percentages as vague as how many pigs were shipped from Georgia in a given year. So Tarot may be a subject that some resource books have covered. I would also often gather books on a subject for a patron to later pick up in order to research the topic, a call to the reference desk with a few questions should let you know if they can help with that as well.

Osher	19 Mar 2004
Expanding this slightly, I wonder if the real question is: What differences are there in Tarot readers between countries, with reference to preference of decks, number of decks per reader, and number of Tarot readers as a percentage of the country? Do the Europeans prefer pips, and the English illustrated, for example?

Rusty Neon	19 Mar 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Happiness Expanding this slightly, I wonder if the real question is: What differences are there in Tarot readers between countries, with reference to preference of decks, number of decks per reader, and number of Tarot readers as a percentage of the country? Do the Europeans prefer pips, and the English illustrated, for example? Even among Continental Europeans themselves (i.e., Europe minus the United Kingdom and Ireland), there may be differences from country to country as regards pips vs. illustrated. For instance, I'd guess that in France, pips would be favoured because of the ongoing popularity of the Tarot de Marseille, while in Germany, decks inspired by RWS and Thoth would be more popular.

Osher	19 Mar 2004
Well, the most famous German decks are the Rohrig and the Cosmic (Losche is German?); and the most famous French deck is the Marsielle. You might have a point there.

The Tarot Statistics thread was originally posted on 15 Mar 2004 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.