8 million own copy of Charlie Hebdo

THE "survivors' edition" of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo has sold nearly eight million copies, according to new figures released on the one-month anniversary of the Paris attack.

Magazine distributor MLP will decide on Monday whether to carry out another print run, as soon as it has accurate sales data from newsagents across France.

The next edition is due to hit newsstands on February 25 and demand for the first one is still high.

MLP director Patrick André told the Journal du Dimanche that 7.1 million copies have been sold in France, and 760,000 had been exported to 25 foreign countries.

The print run was gradually upped from one million to three and then five, as distributors were overwhelmed by the demand.

More than 220,000 people have subscribed to receive Charlie Hebdo on an ongoing basis - up from just 10,000 before the massacre at the newspaper's offices on January 7.

Readers queued around the block to get their hands on a copy of the paper when it first came out. The edition was also translated into English, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and Turkish.

A normal print run of Charlie Hebdo is 60,000.