Global Anime Market Surpasses $28 Billion

The global Japanese animation market reached a record 4.45 trillion yen, or about $28.2 billion, in 2025, according to preliminary data from the Association of Japanese Animations (AJA).

The market grew 15.8% from the previous year. The total includes spending on films and series as well as related merchandise, music, and events.

Fans outside Japan accounted for more than half of the total. The overseas market grew 17.2% to $16.1 billion, making up 57.1% of the global market.

Spending by audiences in Japan also grew faster, rising 14.1% to $12.1 billion after a 4.6% increase a year earlier. Japan’s anime market is already well established, making growth at that pace more difficult than overseas.

Animation studios reported record revenue of 505.5 billion yen ($3.2 billion), an increase of 8.4%. Overseas business accounted for 27.9% of that revenue. Studios are also increasingly seeking to retain rights to their own works so they can control distribution and earn more from them.

Japan’s government has set a goal of increasing exports of Japanese content to 20 trillion yen by 2033, with anime expected to account for about 6 trillion yen ($38.1 billion). To help reach that goal, companies plan to release more localized versions, step up efforts against piracy, and sell more merchandise from their franchises overseas.