Japan's Manga Market Fell 1.7% in 2025

Japan's manga market closed 2025 with a decline of 1.7% and an estimated value of 692.5 billion yen, according to the report by the Research Institute for Publications. The figure combines sales of print publications and digital manga; it does not by itself represent the revenue from all activities of a franchise.

A different result depending on the format

The digital segment grew 2.9% and reached 527.3 billion yen. Its share of the market was 76.1%. The combined total of print volumes and magazines, on the other hand, fell 14% to 165.2 billion yen.

Within print, volumes dropped 14.4% and manga magazines 12.7%. The report thus presents a general contraction that coexists with slower digital growth. It does not describe a uniform decline across all ways of reading manga.

What this figure allows us to conclude

These data are useful for distinguishing formats and periods. They do not allow us to claim that interest in reading has disappeared or that a particular work is selling less: the behavior of a market and that of each title are different scales.

Nor is it enough to compare growth percentages. Growth in one segment and a decline in another affect the total depending on the size of both. The digital share helps interpret the shift, but it does not replace the detail of sales.

How to read future comparisons

When you come across another figure about manga, check whether it refers to Japan or the global market, whether it includes print and digital, and whether it measures sales, copies, or a company's revenue. Comparing different concepts can give a misleading impression of boom or crisis.

This article retains its original publication date and cites the report corresponding to 2025. It should not be used as if it described the close of 2026, whose fiscal year is different.

Originally published on Anitsu by Laura Martínez. Text reviewed and updated for DonOtaku on November 5, 2026; the original publication date is retained.