The last year has been a difficult one for many around the globe. If it wasn’t the pandemic causing stress then others were dealing with political unrest or economic uncertainty. In those times of trouble, many turned to entertainment as a means of escape, and anime was no exception. That is why a new report has come out and confirmed the anime industry is up year or year with a total of 2.51 trillion yen.
The report comes from the Association of Japanese Animations. The organization put out its annual report that goes over the industry and its total revenue earned. While the full report will do release until November 30, the interim data shows the anime industry rose 15.1% percent in 2019 to a total of 2.5112 trillion yen. You know, which is a cool 24.18 billion USD.
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The figure is definitely impressive, and it shows how much money the anime industry is raking in. When compared to ten years ago, the difference is night and day. The report from 2009 said the industry grossed about 1.2661 trillion yen, so revenue has doubled in the span of ten years.
Despite the growing numbers, the report does caution fans that the anime industry could be in trouble if measures are not taken for future demographic blips. The declining birth rate in Japan is a major concern listed in the report as well as China’s growing regulations on anime. However, most markets of the anime industry are on the rise with film, live entertainment, and Internet distribution up.
And when it comes to the industry’s biggest market, you have to look outside of Japan. The overseas market made up 1.2009 trillion yen of revenue in 2019. Now, time will tell how the report next year will fair in light of the pandemic. But for now, it seems like anime is still on the up and up with fans worldwide.
Are you surprised by this report’s findings? Or did you expect anime to still be on the rise? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.