Japanese anime is experiencing one of its greatest moments in history. According to the new report from the Japan Animation Association (AJA)the global anime market reached a record of 3.84 trillion yen (some 25.1 billion dollars), which represents a growth of 15% compared to the previous year.
For the third year in a row, international earnings exceeded domestic earnings. Japan registered 1.67 trillion yen in local sales, while the international market reached 2.17 trillion yen. This means that much of anime's money already comes from overseas fans, fueled by streaming platforms, merchandise and global licensing.
Steady growth around the world
The report indicates that the global market grew 14.8%being the second largest increase recorded in the history of the industry. The Japanese market grew 2.8%but the international did an impressive 26%. The figures include not only sales of series and movies, but also of products, music, concerts, events and collaborations.
Production companies also break records
Companies that directly produce anime also had their best year yet, with revenue of 466.2 billion yen (some 3 billion dollars). The growth is largely due to the success of anime on streaming services and the expansion of licenses outside Asia, although the benefits are reflected with a few years of delay in the studios' accounts.
The future points even higher
During the event TIFFCOM in Tokyo, representatives of Bandai Namco Filmworks They explained that they hope to double their international film profits by 2030, going from 25% to 50%. The anime is also part of the Japanese government's plan to double global entertainment sales in the coming years: 10 trillion yen in 2028 to 20 billion in 2033.
The AJA will publish the Anime Industry Report 2025 complete in December, with more details on how Japanese anime continues to conquer the world from the screen, stores and digital platforms.
Will 2025 be the year in which the anime industry manages to surpass even this new world record?
