Anime industry grows 15.8% to record high in 2025

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Japan's anime industry brought in US$28.18 billion, with growth at home and abroad.

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Japan’s anime industry generated US$ 28.18 billion in 2025, up 15.8% from the previous year. Figures presented by the Association of Japanese Animations (AJA) at TIFFCOM show a record year for the industry, driven by sales in Japan and overseas.

International markets accounted for US$ 16.1 billion, nearly 57% of the total. Sales in Japan reached US$ 12 billion, or 43%. The gap between the two markets continued to widen, but 2025 marked a change: revenue grew in both markets. Domestic sales rose just over 14%, while international sales climbed 17%.

The contrast was sharper in 2024, when overseas revenue grew 26% and the domestic market remained virtually flat. International sales first surpassed domestic sales in 2020 and have remained ahead ever since. Masahiro Hasegawa, editor-in-chief of the AJA report, said Japanese companies have been seeking revenue opportunities abroad and that he expects the trend to continue.

The report also distinguishes between revenue across the industry and the money received by anime production companies. Revenue for those companies rose 8% in 2025 to US$ 3.2 billion, up from US$ 2.95 billion the previous year. According to Hasegawa, more production companies are taking ownership stakes in their work and retaining intellectual property rights, allowing them to receive a share of international revenue.

Among the period’s hits was Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle, which earned about US$ 800 million at the worldwide box office in 2025 and became the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time. In 2026, Chiikawa The Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island took in approximately US$ 159 million worldwide.

Under its IP360 initiative, the Japanese government has set a target of raising the country’s content exports to US$ 127 billion by 2033. For the anime industry, the goal is US$ 38 billion in export revenue that same year.

With information from Deadline.

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