The Association of Japanese Animations has released global figures for the industry. Growth remains steady and is largely driven by international markets.
Anyone who visits comic shops, conventions like Lucca Comics & Games, or streaming platforms has already noticed: Japanese animation is no longer a niche phenomenon. Now the numbers confirm it, and they are impressive.
At TIFFCOM, the content market linked to the Tokyo International Film Festival, the Association of Japanese Animations (AJA) revealed that the global value of the anime industry in 2026 is around $28.2 billion, or 4.45 trillion yen. This represents a 15.8% increase over 2025, which in turn grew by 15.7% over 2024.
The figure is broader than the box office or sales of audiovisual products alone. It accounts for consumer spending on streaming services, home video, cinema and merchandising, along with the revenues earned by Japanese animation studios. It is, in effect, the total value of the entire universe surrounding anime.
The most interesting structural finding is the geographic breakdown. According to Hasegawa Masahiro of the AJA, since 2023 the overseas market has matched the domestic one in value and has gradually overtaken it. Japan is of course still the creative and production hub of anime, but the economic centre of gravity has shifted abroad. That said, the domestic market also showed signs of improvement in 2026.
The AJA believes there is still room to grow, especially outside Japan. Three levers have been identified:
- Merchandising and services tied to major franchises, replicating abroad strategies already proven at home.
- Localisation, meaning adapting products to different cultures, languages, and regulations to make them more appealing in each market.
- Tougher anti-piracy measures.
In Italy, the boom dates back to the late 1970s with UFO Robot, which shaped entire generations of viewers. Today, alongside industry conventions, there are dedicated channels on streaming platforms and a service built specifically for the genre, Crunchyroll, created under Sony’s leadership. Investments like these would make little sense without a steadily expanding international audience.
Western productions such as K-pop Demon Hunters by Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix, or DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot, show how deeply anime’s aesthetics and storytelling language have entered the global imagination.
With two years of growth close to 16% and an international audience that outweighs the domestic one, the anime industry looks set to remain one of the most dynamic segments of entertainment. The next challenges will be adapting to individual markets and protecting content from piracy. Meanwhile, the big screen is also preparing to host new releases tied to the world of Japanese animation.
Photo credit: william wallace via Unsplash
