Industry
Anime industry: global market reaches 4.45 trillion yen
Foreign share rises to 57.1 percent, while the revenues of the animation producers themselves lag well behind.
The global market for Japanese anime reaches a new record of 4.4491 trillion yen in 2025, according to preliminary calculations. This is according to figures from the Association of Japanese Animations (AJA), which the industry association will present on October 30, 2026. Compared with the previous year, market volume grows by 15.8 percent.
Overseas market grows faster than business in Japan
The Japanese domestic market accounts for 1.9065 trillion yen, an increase of 14.1 percent over 2024. Business outside Japan reaches 2.5426 trillion yen and thus grows by 17.2 percent.
The international share is therefore 57.1 percent. The year before, it had been 56.5 percent. Growth thus does not come exclusively from demand abroad, but the increase there is higher than in Japan.
For this total figure, the AJA considers the broad anime market: it includes estimated spending on anime and related offerings along the distribution chain. The 4.4491 trillion yen therefore must not be equated with the revenue of Japanese animation studios.
Production studios generate 505.5 billion yen
For the narrower market of animation production companies, the association reports 505.5 billion yen, likewise a record. Compared with the previous year, this corresponds to an increase of 8.4 percent. Of these revenues, 72.1 percent come from the Japanese domestic market and 27.9 percent from abroad.
The differing proportions show why a distinction must be made between the business with anime among audiences and the revenues of the producers themselves. Despite strongly growing international demand, the entire value does not flow directly to the studios.
That production and marketing structures are being changed is shown, for example, by the merger of five anime studios at KADOKAWA. Projects such as Plott's IP360 initiative for the international distribution of short anime also explicitly focus on overseas business.
The figures were presented at the TIFFCOM 2026 industry event. The complete Anime Industry Report 2026 is due to appear in early December. It is to contain, among other things, detailed analyses of international distribution, the production landscape and distribution channels.