Japan comic sales reach a record high in 2023 with ¥693 Billion

An increase in digital sales made up for a decline in print for Japan’s comic sales which reached a record ¥693 Billion in 2023. That’s a 2.5% increase from the previous year. The sales estimate was done by the All Japan Magazine and Book Publishers’ and Editors’ Association and the Research Institute for Publications.

¥693 Billion is a little under $4.6 billion in US dollars. The 2023 US estimates have not been released yet but in 2022 the US and Canadian sales to consumers was estimated at $2.16 billion.

In Japan, sales of e-comics increased by 7.8% to ¥483 billion while print sales decreased by 8.2% to ¥161 billion. Comic magazines decreased by 7.4% to ¥49.7 billion.

As reported, sales of print comics grew in 2020 and 2021 but began to decline in 2022 and in 2023 dropped below the 2019 pandemic level. But, the digital comic market nearly doubled compared to 2019.

(via Nippon.com)