Private Eye's average circulation grew 4.6 per cent year on year to 228,264 in the first half of 2015, according to ABC.
The fortnightly title remained the most popular current affairs magazine in the audit. Editor Ian Hislop (pictured, Reuters) said: "These figures are completely unbelievable. Are they from the Treasury?"
The magazine said in a statement that this marked its highest ABC circulation since 1986.
Meanwhile, The Economist's UK edition circulation grew by 1.9 per cent to 227,914 in the first half of 2015.
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Although the print edition saw its average circulation fall by 22.3 per cent to 156,961, the title's digital edition was up 225.8 per cent to 70,953. According to ABC, the majority (more than 64,000) of The Economist's digital editions were sold below basic annual rate, but not less than 50 per cent.
Other titles to increase their year-on-year circulation were Monocle (up 4.1 per cent to 80,171), The Spectator (up 2.6 per cent to 55,669), The Week (up 1.7 per cent to 202,842) and The Oldie (up 1.6 per cent to 46,144).
| Title | Total | Y/Y % change | Paid-for % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private Eye | 228,264 | 4.6 | 99.1 |
| The Economist (UK, print) | 156,961 | -22.3 | 90.4 |
| Monocle | 80,171 | 4.1 | 82.6 |
| The Spectator (excluding Australia) | 55,669 | 2.6 | 84.3 |
| The Week | 202,842 | 1.7 | 79.3 |
| The Oldie | 46,144 | 1.6 | 97.1 |
| Investors Chronicle | 28,657 | -0.2 | 99.9 |
| Prospect | 29,891 | -0.4 | 63.9 |
| Shares | 14,090 | -8 | 34.4 |
| MoneyWeek | 47,986 | -17.1 | 99 |
| The Economist (UK, digital edition) | 70,953 | 225.8 | |
| Investors Chronicle (digital edition) | 3,645 | ||
| Prospect (digital edition) | 1,534 |
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