Japan's Anime Market Reaches Record $28.2 Billion as Home Sales Surge
Worldwide spending on Japanese anime reached a record JPY4.45 trillion ($28.2 billion) in 2025, up 15.8% on the previous year, the Association of Japanese Animations said at TIFFCOM on Friday.
1 source 4h ago
Reporting from 1 source: Variety Anime.
Why it matters
The home market grew 14.1% in 2025 after 4.6% growth in 2024, so the business is no longer leaning on overseas revenue alone for its gains.
Key Facts
- Worldwide spending on Japanese anime reached a record JPY4.45 trillion ($28.2 billion) in 2025, up 15.8% on the previous year.
- The local Japanese market grew 14.1% to JPY1.91 trillion ($12.1 billion), while overseas revenue rose 17.2% to JPY2.54 trillion ($16.1 billion).
- Overseas consumers account for 57.1% of the total, up from 56.5% a year earlier.
- Revenue earned by animation studios rose 8.4% to a record JPY505.5 billion ($3.2 billion).
- Hasegawa Masahiro of the Association of Japanese Animations presented the preliminary figures at TIFFCOM, with final numbers due in the 2026 report in December.
Overseas revenue rose 17.2% to JPY2.54 trillion ($16.1 billion), while the local market grew 14.1% to JPY1.91 trillion ($12.1 billion). The final figures appear in the 2026 report in December.
The growth rate itself set a mark: 15.8% edged past the 15.7% posted in 2024. Local growth had run at 4.6% in 2024, based on revised figures for 2023, while overseas growth slowed from the 26% recorded that year. Hasegawa Masahiro, editor-in-chief of the association's annual Anime Industry Report, said 2025 broke the old pattern of a sluggish home market sitting alongside rapid growth abroad, and cautioned that exchange rates and global conditions affect the comparison.
The narrower measure, revenue earned by animation studios themselves, rose 8.4% to a record JPY505.5 billion ($3.2 billion), slower than the 9.1% growth of 2024. Overseas business made up 27.9% of studio revenue, up from 25.5%. Hasegawa said studios do not always deal directly with international partners, and that holding and managing their own rights is growing year by year.
Written with AI by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited. See our editorial policy.
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