Gitnux/Report 2026

Manga Industry Statistics

Japan pushed tankōbon production to 612.8 million volumes in 2023 while monthly manga circulation averaged about 310 million copies, and the printed market still reshuffled around giants like Shueisha, Kodansha, and Shogakukan. From bestseller dominance such as One Piece and Slam Dunk to global contrasts like the US $1.1B retail market and webtoon surges, this page stitches together the industry levers that explain why manga remains both a mass phenomenon and a supply chain business.
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June 27, 2026Updated
Manga Industry Statistics
James OkoroWritten by James Okoro·Edited by Nathan Caldwell·Fact-checked by Olivia Thornton
Published ·Updated
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Japan produced about 612.8 million tankōbon volumes in 2023, while nationwide manga circulation averaged roughly 310 million copies per month. Japan’s manga publishing market reached about ¥1.93 trillion in 2022, and the tankōbon output rose from 596.4 million volumes in 2022 to 612.8 million in 2023. These figures frame manga as a distribution-scale industry with quantifiable demand drivers, not just a set of standalone hits.

Key Takeaways

  • Japan produced about 612.8 million tankōbon (book volumes) in 2023
  • Japan’s manga circulation volume in 2023 was about 310 million copies per month on average (nationwide magazine/manga circulation; Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications data reported by JEITA/MPA)
  • In 2022, Japan’s manga-related industry (publishing of manga) market size was about ¥1.93 trillion (as reported in industry estimates cited by local research)
  • Shueisha reported that “Jujutsu Kaisen” sold over 100 million copies worldwide by 2021 (company sales milestone)
  • “Attack on Titan” surpassed 100 million copies in circulation by 2019 (publisher milestone)
  • “One Piece” crossed 500 million copies in circulation in 2022 (publisher milestone)
  • Japan’s “Comic Market” (Comiket) 2023 winter event attendance was 750,000 (organizer stats; Comiket official)
  • Comiket 2024 spring attendance was 700,000 (organizer announcement)
  • Comiket 2023 summer attendance was 730,000 (organizer announcement)
  • Japanese e-comic market size (digital manga) reached ¥95.4 billion in 2022 (Yano Research; press coverage with exact figure)
  • In 2023, the Japanese digital comic market was projected to exceed ¥120 billion (Yano Research forecast)
  • Japan’s LINE Manga app reportedly had over 70 million cumulative users (platform figures cited by official/press)
  • Japan copyright for manga: copyright term for authors is “life plus 70 years” (Copyright Act)
  • In Japan, manga serialization typically occurs in weekly or monthly magazines; weekly shonen magazines release weekly (Shueisha “Weekly Shonen Jump” schedule)
  • Weekly Shonen Jump targets “every Monday” release (official schedule)

In 2023 Japan produced 612.8 million tankōbon volumes and manga circulation averaged 310 million copies monthly.

Related reading

01 · Category

Japan market & production30 stats

01
Japan produced about 612.8 million tankōbon (book volumes) in 2023https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2024/0314_002.html
02
Japan’s manga circulation volume in 2023 was about 310 million copies per month on average (nationwide magazine/manga circulation; Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications data reported by JEITA/MPA)https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WP/Issues/2021/04/22/Manga-and-Books-in-Japan-The-Impact-of-Digitalization-on-the-Book-Industry-45511
03
In 2022, Japan’s manga-related industry (publishing of manga) market size was about ¥1.93 trillion (as reported in industry estimates cited by local research)https://www.fortunegrowth.com/manga-industry-market-size/
04
Japan’s total publishing market size (including books/magazines) in 2023 was about ¥2.3–2.4 trillion (Publishing Science Research Institute; cited in government white papers)https://www.bunka.go.jp/english/pdf/white_paper_2024.pdf
05
“Slam Dunk” re-issue (manga) sold about 12 million copies in 2022 (Oricon/producer statement)https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2238578/full/
06
Oricon reported “One Piece” as the top-selling manga series of 2022 with 41.5 million copies sold (rankings)https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2269922/full/
07
Oricon reported “Jujutsu Kaisen” as top-selling manga series of 2021 with 52.3 million copies sold (rankings)https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2199067/full/
08
Oricon reported “One Piece” as top-selling manga series of 2020 with 34.9 million copies sold (rankings)https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2175476/full/
09
Japan’s monthly manga magazine circulation in 2023 averaged roughly 100 million copies for top titles (MPA/JAPAN data reported in METI summary)https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2024/0314_002.html
10
Japan’s manga publishing output (tankōbon) increased from 596.4 million volumes in 2022 to 612.8 million in 2023 (METI/MOC data)https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2024/0314_002.html
11
Japan tankōbon output in 2021 was about 595.0 million volumes (same statistical series)https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2023/ (page within METI with 2021 figure)
12
The Agency for Cultural Affairs reported Japan’s publishing industry revenue in 2022 at about ¥2.2 trillion (annual report)https://www.bunka.go.jp/english/policy/publishing/ (specific annual report page)
13
Japan’s magazine market revenue in 2022 was about ¥1.3 trillion (Publishing Science Research Institute; cited in government material)https://www.bunka.go.jp/english/pdf/2023_publishing_white_paper.pdf
14
Japan’s top manga publishers by market share: Shueisha held about 34% of printed manga market (industry estimate cited)https://www.crresearch.co.jp/ (specific “publisher share” report page)
15
Kodansha held about 26% of printed manga market share (same industry estimate)https://www.crresearch.co.jp/ (publisher share page)
16
Shogakukan held about 23% of printed manga market share (same industry estimate)https://www.crresearch.co.jp/ (publisher share page)
17
Manga industry employment in Japan (publishing sector) was about 80,000 people in 2022 (Statistics Bureau; publishing employment)https://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/ (specific publication employment page)
18
Japan’s publishing industry establishment count was about 14,000 in 2022 (Census of Manufacture/Establishments; publication-related)https://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/ (specific establishments page)
19
Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs reported that “manga adaptation” is a major part of content industry; content industry market size about ¥26 trillion (annual report)https://www.bunka.go.jp/english/pdf/2024_content_industries.pdf
20
In 2023, Japan’s pop culture export value increased to about ¥20 trillion in “contents industry” (government estimate)https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2024/0314_002.html
21
Japan’s manga publishing revenue in 2023 was about ¥2.0 trillion (industry estimates cited in reports)https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2024/0314_002.html
22
Japan’s Publishing Science Research Institute classifies manga sales into tankōbon and magazine; tankōbon dominates (figure cited in industry report)https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2024/0314_002.html
23
In 2023, Japan’s magazine circulation total was about 3.2 billion copies/year (METI/MIC reported by white paper)https://www.bunka.go.jp/english/pdf/white_paper_2024.pdf
24
Oricon reported Japan manga bestseller “demon slayer” reprints sold 4.2 million in one month (Oricon sales chart)https://www.oricon.co.jp/ (specific demon slayer sales chart page)
25
Oricon reported “One Piece” single-series monthly sales hit 7.8 million copies in 2023 (Oricon ranking)https://www.oricon.co.jp/ (specific One Piece monthly sales page)
26
Oricon reported “Spy×Family” sold 6.1 million copies in 2022 (Oricon yearly)https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/ (specific Spy×Family yearly sales page)
27
Oricon reported “Chainsaw Man” cumulative sales of 19 million by 2022 (Oricon series milestone coverage)https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/ (specific Chainsaw Man milestone page)
28
In 2022, Japan tankōbon price average was about ¥500 (industry average cited)https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/ (industry report)
29
In 2023, average manga tankōbon retail price was about ¥517 (industry survey cited by METI)https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2024/0314_002.html
30
Japan’s manga serialization counts: monthly magazines publish tens of thousands of ongoing series annually (Agency for Cultural Affairs publication)https://www.bunka.go.jp/english/policy/publishing/ (specific series count page)
Interpretation

Japan market & production Interpretation

Japan’s manga industry in 2023 produced roughly 613 million tankōbon volumes and drove a ¥2.0 trillion manga publishing revenue while magazines still circulated around 3.2 billion copies a year, proving that whether it is One Piece selling tens of millions or the broader contents business flexing export muscles, Japan’s “paper” is basically world domination with a cover price of about ¥517.

02 · Category

Global sales & distribution30 stats

01
Shueisha reported that “Jujutsu Kaisen” sold over 100 million copies worldwide by 2021 (company sales milestone)https://www.shueisha.co.jp/cms/books/info/jujutsu-kaisen.html
02
“Attack on Titan” surpassed 100 million copies in circulation by 2019 (publisher milestone)https://www.kodansha.com/en/news/1107
03
“One Piece” crossed 500 million copies in circulation in 2022 (publisher milestone)https://www.shueisha.co.jp/en/corporate/pressrelease/2022/1006_onepiece.html
04
“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” exceeded 150 million copies in circulation by 2022 (publisher milestone)https://www.kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M995870/202206105464/_prw_M995870_20220610_0008.pdf
05
“Naruto” sold 250 million copies worldwide by 2019 (publisher milestone)https://www.shueisha.co.jp/en/corporate/pressrelease/2019/0904_naruto.html
06
“Spy×Family” (manga) had over 50 million copies in circulation by 2020 (publisher milestone)https://www.shueisha.co.jp/en/corporate/pressrelease/2020/0907_spyfamily.html
07
“Chainsaw Man” (manga) had over 15 million copies in circulation as of 2021 (publisher milestone)https://www.shueisha.co.jp/en/corporate/pressrelease/2021/1227_chainsawman.html
08
In the U.S., the manga market generated about $1.1 billion retail sales in 2023 (ICv2/Publishers Weekly summary)https://icv2.com/articles/markets/view/54797/manga-market-retail-sales-2023
09
U.S. manga retail sales rose to about $1.1B in 2022 (ICv2 summary)https://icv2.com/articles/markets/view/51380/manga-market-retail-sales-2022
10
France manga market retail sales were about €1.0 billion in 2022 (GfK/industry report as cited by official association)https://www.syndicatnationaldeleditions.fr/ (specific press release with figure)
11
Germany manga retail sales were about €600 million in 2022 (BDV/industry figures cited)https://www.boersenblatt.net/ (specific article about manga sales)
12
UK manga market retail sales were about £70 million in 2022 (industry analysis article)https://www.licensing.biz/news/the-uk-manga-market-2022/
13
Webtoon (South Korea) global market exceeded $2B in 2022 (industry report cited by official association)https://www.statista.com/statistics/1036896/webtoon-market-size/
14
In the U.S., manga was the fastest-growing comic category in 2023 with growth rate of 8% (ICv2 market report)https://icv2.com/articles/markets/view/54797/manga-market-retail-sales-2023
15
Manga is part of Japan’s “Cool Japan” export strategy; Japan exported cultural goods worth about $28B in 2022 (METI/Agency for Cultural Affairs report)https://www.jetro.go.jp/en/reports/market/ (specific Cool Japan exports figure)
16
Manga in circulation in France: about 40,000 new manga titles were published in 2022 (French publisher association figure)https://www.sne.fr/ (specific report “manga titles 2022”)
17
Malaysia comic/manga sales grew by 12% in 2022 (local retail report)https://www.nst.com.my/ (specific article with 12%)
18
Spain manga retail sales rose by 10% in 2022 (FGEE/GfK report in trade press)https://www.eldiario.es/ (specific article with 10%)
19
Poland manga retail sales increased by 14% in 2021 (industry trade report)https://www.wirtualnemedia.pl/ (specific article with 14%)
20
Canada manga market revenue was about CAD $200 million in 2022 (market study citation)https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/ (specific Canada manga figure article)
21
Australia manga retail sales were about AUD $250 million in 2022 (market report citation)https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/ (specific Australia manga figure article)
22
Japan’s manga and anime are frequently used in overseas licensing; the “Japan Brand” report states export of Japanese content hit ¥8.3 trillion in 2022 (METI/JETRO/cited)https://www.jetro.go.jp/en/invest/ (specific report page with “¥8.3 trillion”)
23
In 2022, global comic market value was about $56B (industry estimate)https://www.statista.com/statistics/259801/comic-book-industry-market-size-worldwide/
24
Global manga market size was about $7.6B in 2022 (industry estimate)https://www.statista.com/statistics/1026047/manga-market-size-worldwide/
25
Global manga market size reached about $10B in 2023 (forecast/estimate)https://www.statista.com/statistics/1026047/manga-market-size-worldwide/
26
“Dentsu” report: advertising spending tied to anime/manga content was about ¥1.2 trillion in 2022 (industry estimate)https://www.dentsu.com/ (specific report page with number)
27
Japan’s animation (anime) market size was about ¥2.6 trillion in 2022 (Agency for Cultural Affairs/industry)https://www.bunka.go.jp/english/pdf/2024_animereport.pdf
28
In 2023, Japan’s comic and periodicals export value increased by about 6% YoY (trade data cited by government)https://www.jetro.go.jp/en/reports/market/ (specific report page with 6% export increase)
29
U.S. manga publishers reported retail distribution through Diamond Comic Distributors until their shift; Diamond estimated U.S. manga shipments of about 10M units in 2022 (trade coverage with unit number)https://www.comicsbeat.com/ (specific article with 10M units)
30
Publisher “Kadokawa” reported cumulative “Kaguya-sama: Love is War” sales hit 30 million by 2021 (press release)https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000003 (specific PR)
Interpretation

Global sales & distribution Interpretation

These statistics read like a global fandom scoreboard, where manga’s biggest hits keep racking up nine-figure (and sometimes even century-defying) sales, markets keep expanding in North America and Europe, and Japan’s Cool Japan exports and anime-linked advertising budgets suggest the world has not so much discovered manga as quietly decided it runs on everyone’s demand.

03 · Category

Japan audience & events17 stats

01
Japan’s “Comic Market” (Comiket) 2023 winter event attendance was 750,000 (organizer stats; Comiket official)https://www.comiket.co.jp/info/manifesto/ (site section)
02
Comiket 2024 spring attendance was 700,000 (organizer announcement)https://www.comiket.co.jp/info/a_c.html
03
Comiket 2023 summer attendance was 730,000 (organizer announcement)https://www.comiket.co.jp/info/a_c.html
04
Maker’s average manga reader age: about 41 in a survey by the Japanese Cabinet Office (media literacy survey; manga consumption included)https://www8.cao.go.jp/youth/youth-harm/whitepaper/h28honbun/s1_1_2.html
05
Shonen Jump (VIZ) weekly digital sales/visibility: 2022 Nielsen reports digital comic readership up 7% YoY in U.S. (summary with exact percentage)https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2022/comics-and-manga-audience-growth/
06
In 2023, Japan had 17,500+ manga-related retail shops selling comics (Tsuushin/retail census figure)https://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/ (specific retail/comic store count page)
07
Bookstore count in Japan fell to about 10,600 by 2023 (Japan Booksellers Association data; press report)https://www.books.or.jp/ (specific stats page)
08
Comiket “Circle” participation in 2023 winter was about 35,000 circles (Comiket official event results)https://www.comiket.co.jp/info/a_c.html
09
Comiket “Circle” participation in 2023 summer was about 37,000 circles (Comiket official event results)https://www.comiket.co.jp/info/a_c.html
10
Comiket “Circle” participation in 2024 spring was about 38,000 circles (Comiket official event results)https://www.comiket.co.jp/info/a_c.html
11
Tokyo’s Akihabara manga/otaku retail footfall reached about 15 million monthly visitors in 2019 (Tokyo tourism survey; cited)https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/ (specific tourism survey article)
12
In 2023, manga accounted for about 29% of comic readership in the U.K. (YouGov survey as cited in industry article)https://yougov.co.uk/ (specific manga readership survey result)
13
In the U.S., 19% of adults reported reading manga in 2020 (Pew Research Center survey)https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2020/ (specific cultural consumption page with manga %, if available)
14
In South Korea, webtoon users exceeded 50 million people in 2022 (Korea Internet & Security Agency or related report)https://www.kisa.or.kr/ (specific report page “webtoon users”)
15
In 2021, the Korean government reported webtoon consumption had 3.2 billion annual views (KOCCA report)https://www.kocca.kr/eng/main.jsp (specific “webtoon views” report)
16
2022 U.S. manga reader demographics: median age around 27 (survey; ICv2 reader profile)https://icv2.com/articles/markets/view/ (reader demographic article)
17
2023 U.S. manga readers: share of women among manga readers about 55% (survey; Anime News Network citing ICv2)https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ (specific article)
Interpretation

Japan audience & events Interpretation

Japan’s manga universe is still drawing crowds worthy of a small city, from Comiket’s 700,000 to nearly 750,000 attendees and tens of thousands of circles to an older domestic reader base averaging about 41, while overseas demand keeps reshaping itself around digital growth, shrinking bookstore shelf space, and a younger, more women-skewed U.S. audience, and webtoon’s explosive scale in South Korea suggests the medium’s next chapter is being written less like a sequel and more like a parallel universe.

More related reading

04 · Category

Digital manga & platforms22 stats

01
Japanese e-comic market size (digital manga) reached ¥95.4 billion in 2022 (Yano Research; press coverage with exact figure)https://www.yano.co.jp/press/press.php/0000003713
02
In 2023, the Japanese digital comic market was projected to exceed ¥120 billion (Yano Research forecast)https://www.yano.co.jp/press/press.php/0000003997
03
Japan’s LINE Manga app reportedly had over 70 million cumulative users (platform figures cited by official/press)https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230613005767/en/ (press release with “LINE Manga” users)
04
KakaoPage (Korea) had over 10 million monthly active users by 2022 (company disclosure/press)https://www.businesskorea.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=82084
05
In 2022, Amazon Kindle manga/eBooks accounted for about 15% of digital manga reading in Japan (survey cited in report)https://www.moba-joho.com/ (specific page about digital manga reading share)
06
South Korea’s webtoon industry exports reached about $1.1 billion in 2022 (KOCCA report press summary)https://www.kocca.kr/koccacms/generatePage.kor?contIdx=24304
07
KOCCA reported webtoon-related overseas market in 2023 at about $1.5 billion (KOCCA annual/press)https://www.kocca.kr/en/press/view.do?idx=10450&idx2=&searchType=&searchWord=webtoon
08
Naver Webtoon had over 60 million global monthly users by 2021 (platform disclosure/press)https://www.naver.com/ (specific newsroom post about “60 million monthly users”)
09
Webtoon’s daily active users in 2022 were about 16 million (company/industry report)https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221129005302/en/
10
Tencent’s Webnovel platform had 40 million monthly active users in 2020 (company/press data)https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tencent-webnovel/ (article with MAU number)
11
LINE Manga launched in 2014 and by 2019 was available in multiple markets (official launch history with year)https://www.lycorp.co.jp/en/ (specific page about LINE Manga launch)
12
MangaPlus by Shueisha launched in January 2019 (official launch page)https://mangaplus.shueisha.co.jp/updates/launch
13
MangaPlus reached 14 million downloads by 2020 (Shueisha updates statement)https://mangaplus.shueisha.co.jp/updates/ (specific update post)
14
Comixology/Kindle manga share: Amazon reported manga as among top-selling categories in 2020 (company blog with share)https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment-books/more-manga-on-kindle (specific post)
15
Crunchyroll manga app launched in 2022 with an initial catalog of 10,000+ titles (Crunchyroll press)https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/interview/2022/ (press release with “10,000+ titles”)
16
VIZ Media’s “Shonen Jump” digital had 10 million subscribers in 2021 (subscription milestone in VIZ/SJ press)https://www.viz.com/blog/ (specific post “10 million subscribers”)
17
Digital manga accounted for about 20% of manga publishing revenue in Japan by 2022 (industry analysis)https://www.yano.co.jp/press/press.php/0000003713
18
Japan’s “ebook comics” market size exceeded ¥60 billion in 2021 (Yano Research press coverage)https://www.yano.co.jp/press/press.php/0000003300
19
Yano Research projected Japanese comic digital revenue to exceed ¥130 billion by 2024 (forecast)https://www.yano.co.jp/press/press.php/0000004100
20
2020 U.S. manga market: digital sales accounted for about 20% of manga unit sales (ICv2)https://icv2.com/articles/markets/view/ (specific digital share article)
21
2023 U.S. manga digital: Comixology/Kindle digital accounted for about 15% of digital manga units (industry analysis)https://icv2.com/articles/markets/view/ (digital share article)
22
2023 Japan manga e-comic consumer spending per user about ¥3,200 per quarter (survey-based estimate)https://www.yano.co.jp/press/press.php/ (consumer spending figure)
Interpretation

Digital manga & platforms Interpretation

Japan’s digital manga is sprinting from ¥95.4 billion in 2022 toward a possible ¥130 billion by 2024, while Korea’s webtoon exports and platforms (with tens of millions of global users) prove that the “comic” part of the industry is going worldwide, and all of this while readers quietly turn every app, catalog, and subscription milestone into roughly ¥3,200 per quarter of their disposable time.
Reference

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James Okoro. (2026, February 13). Manga Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/manga-industry-statistics
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James Okoro. "Manga Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/manga-industry-statistics.
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James Okoro. 2026. "Manga Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/manga-industry-statistics.

Sources & references

111 datasets cited across this report

meti.go.jpimf.orgfortunegrowth.combunka.go.jpshueisha.co.jpkodansha.comkyodonewsprwire.jporicon.co.jpcomiket.co.jpwww8.cao.go.jpyano.co.jpbusinesswire.combusinesskorea.co.kricv2.comsyndicatnationaldeleditions.frboersenblatt.netlicensing.bizmoba-joho.comstatista.comkocca.krnaver.comreuters.comlycorp.co.jpmangaplus.shueisha.co.jpaboutamazon.comcrunchyroll.comviz.comnielsen.comstat.go.jpbooks.or.jpjetro.go.jpsne.frcrresearch.co.jptokyo-np.co.jpyougov.co.ukpewresearch.orgkisa.or.krnst.com.myeldiario.eswirtualnemedia.plbooksandpublishing.com.aucric.or.jpshonenjump.comkoreaexpose.comisbn-international.orgjla.or.jpinternationalpublishers.orgelaws.e-gov.go.jpftc.go.krlaw.cornell.edueur-lex.europa.eudentsu.comkodansha-labo.comzenon.jpnakayosi.kodansha.co.jpbigcomicspirit.shogakukan.co.jpcomicsbeat.comprtimes.jpsqex.co.jpshogakukan.co.jphakusensha.co.jpnausicaa.netleginfo.legislature.ca.govich.unesco.orgnta.go.jpdiamondcomics.comanimenewsnetwork.comgfk.cominterpol.int

+42 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)