Culture 2 min read By Mason Emerson
Japanese Anime Sales Hit Record $28.2 Billion in 2025
Worldwide spending on Japanese anime reached a record $28.2 billion in 2025, up 15.8 percent, with overseas consumers now accounting for more than half of total revenue.
Worldwide spending on Japanese anime reached a record JPY4.45 trillion, or about $28.2 billion, in 2025, a rise of 15.8 percent over the previous year. Overseas consumers now account for well over half of that total, according to preliminary figures presented by the Association of Japanese Animations, known as AJA.
Hasegawa Masahiro, editor-in-chief of AJA's annual Anime Industry Report, unveiled the numbers on Friday at TIFFCOM, the Tokyo International Film Festival's marketplace for film and television content. The figures show growth in both domestic and international markets, a combination that industry observers have long hoped for as the sector expands beyond Japan's borders.
Overseas revenues reached about $16.1 billion, or JPY2.54 trillion, accounting for nearly 57 percent of the total. Domestic revenues came in at roughly $12 billion. The split underlines how far the medium has traveled: while Japanese animation was once a largely domestic business with a devoted international fan base, foreign audiences are now driving the majority of spending.
The record comes as streaming platforms, merchandise makers and theatrical distributors compete for anime titles, and as hit series have shown they can dominate global charts. The AJA report presents 2025 as evidence that growth is broad rather than dependent on a single franchise or market.
The figures were presented at TIFFCOM, an event that brings together buyers, sellers and producers of film and television content from around the world, making it a natural venue for discussing the international reach of Japanese animation. Presenting the preliminary numbers there signaled how central overseas distribution has become to the business model of the industry.
Because the numbers are preliminary, the final figures in the full Anime Industry Report may differ. The AJA's annual report is the industry's main tally of anime spending, and its trend lines are closely watched by studios, distributors and investors deciding where to commit resources in the coming year.
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