100+ Animation Industry Statistics and Trends (Latest 2025)

When you look at the increasing number of animated content across platforms, it’s easy to see that the animation industry is growing. But, exactly how much? 

If you are curious about the latest and relevant animation industry statistics and data in 2025, you’re in the right place.

Join us as we explore the state of the industry in 2025 and what it might look like years from now.

Global Animation Industry Market Size Estimates

• The global animation industry’s market size was around $371.85 billion in 2024. It is expected to reach $391.48 billion in 2025 and $590.85 billion by 2033. The CAGR from 2025 to 2033 is expected to be around 5.3%.
• As per another data source, the global animation industry is expected to grow from $379.83 billion in 2024 to $407.03 billion in 2025 with a CAGR of 7.2%.
• A different source expects the global animation market to be valued at $462 billion by the end of 2025.
• The animation market is expected to be valued at $531.31 billion in 2029.
• From 2025 to 2029, the animation market is likely to grow at a CAGR of 6.9%.
• The global animation market might reach a valuation of $895 billion by 2034.
• When it comes to animation production, the market is valued at $393.39 billion in 2025.
• The 3D animation market alone is forecasted to reach $52.38 billion by 2032 and it is growing at an impressive 11.7% CAGR from 2023.
• The anime market itself stands at $34.26 billion in 2024, expected to be $60.27 billion by 2030, with a 9.8% CAGR (2025–2030)
• Another anime estimate suggests that it will grow from $35.21 billion in 2024 to $38.41 billion in 2025, then reach $59.96 billion by 2030, at a 10.17% CAGR.
• The aforementioned market is expected to be worth $631.52 billion by 2034.
•  In the period between 2025 and 2034, the animation production is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.4%.
•  While there’s plenty of information available about the animation market, in general, that’s not the case with 2D, though. Yet, we have discovered a stat that may interest you. The market value of 2D animation software is $35.64 billion.
•  On the other hand, the global sales estimate of animation software is around $576.7 million in 2025. This number is expected to reach $1525.9 million by 2035.
• Additionally, these numbers are expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.2% during the same period.

These statistics show you what the animation industry is worth today and what it might be worth in the future. Considering how much new animated content keeps showing up in different places, it does feel likely that these numbers are only going to get better. 

Sources: MarketDataForcast , TheBusinessResearchCompany, Kasra Design, ResearchandMarkets,  Presedence Research, Sky Quest, Grand View Research, 360iResearch, Future Market Insights

Region-Specific Animation Statistics

Now let’s see which region contributes most to the animation market and where the industry thrives.

North America

• North America (U.S. and Canada) is the best region for animation enthusiasts. It accounted for almost 35% of the total revenue generated in 2022.
• In 2025, North America has a 33.94% share of the global animation market.
•  As a result, North America still have the largest market share in the animation industry in 2025.
•  Additionally, the North American market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.90%.
•  In the context of Animation, North America is home to some of the biggest studios. These include Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks.
• Now that we have talked about North America, it is time to talk about both the U.S. and Canada individually. Starting with the U.S., its animation market was valued at $59.27 billion in 2024 and is likely to reach $131.16 billion by 2034.
•  During the same period, the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.5%.
•  Canada’s animation market is booming with a valuation of over $1 billion. Its job market has grown by 18% in the period between 2018 and 2023.
• In 2025, Canada’s animation market is expected to grow by 10%.
• In 2025, North America’s animation market share revenue is divided between the United States (64.41%), Canada (22.03%), and Mexico (13.56%).

Asia Pacific

• The Asia Pacific region is the fastest-growing market for VFX, led by Japan and India.
• As of 2025, Asia Pacific has a 31.61% share of the global animation production market.
•  The region has well-known studios of the animation industry in Japan, South Korea, China, and India.
• Speaking of Japan, its animation market was valued at $20 billion in 2022, up 6.8% from 2021.
• As a result, the Japanese animation industry is the biggest in Asia.
• In 2025, Japan’s Asia Pacific market’s share is 7.27%.
• As per a source, China holds a 34.55% share of Asia Pacific’s animation market revenue in 2025.
• In India’s case, it has a 14.55% share of Asia Pacific’s animation market revenue in 2025.
• Australia’s share in Asia Pacific’s animation market revenue is 9.09% in 2025.
•  With a 20% annual growth, South Korea is another emerging market for animation. The country exports 80% of its animation output, translating to over $1 billion in revenue usd.
• When it comes to the animation market, the Asia Pacific is growing at 8%, while the North American market’s growth rate is 5.9%. If these trends continue, the market will surpass the North American market by 2026.
• Japan, North Korea, China, and India are among the top countries to produce and export animated content to the world.
• The region is growing tremendously in the VFX market, as well. Japan and India lead the race in this context, with the former expecting a 12% growth annually.

Europe

• The European Union is a great place for animation workers, as well, with a valuation of $5 billion.
• The success of European animated films, “The Secret of Kells” (2009) and “Song of the Sea” (2014) brought international attention to the continent’s animation industry.
• Europe has a 15.52% share of the global animation market revenue in 2025.
• From the viewpoint of animation, Europe’s important countries include France and Germany.
• Germany leads the race with 18.52% share of the European Animation market revenue in 2025.
• The second country in this list is France with a 14.81% share.
• In 2025, each of the U.K., Russia, and Italy have an 11.11% share of Europe’s animation market revenue.
• Luxembourg has a 3.70% share of the European animation market revenue in 2025.
• Spain and the Rest of Europe have 7.41% market share each.
• The European Market continues to grow despite the challenges, such as those created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Middle East

• The Middle East market has a 10.34% share of the global animation market revenue in 2025.
• It is expected to grow from $1.8 billion in 2025 to $3.6 billion by 2033.
• During this period, the CAGR will be 9.4%.
• Egypt has a 5.56% share of the Middle Eastern animation market revenue in 2025.
• On the other hand, Turkey and the Rest of the Middle East & Africa have 11.11% share each.

South America & Latin America

• In 2025, the South American market has an 8.62% market share of the global animation market revenue.
• The market is expected to grow from $1.5 billion in 2025 to 3.2 billion by 2023.
• During this period, the CAGR will be 10%.
• When it comes to the South American animation market revenue in 2025, Brazil is at the top with a 40% market share.
• Argentina is next on the list with 20% market share.
• Peru, Colombia, and Chile have 6.67% market share each, while the Rest of South America has a 20% share.
• Similarly, Latin America’s animation market has a valuation of $500 million. However, it’s growing between 10% and 15%.

These animation statistics reveal a clear picture that while North America is still the top region for animation, Asia Pacific is quickly inching closer. Some even predict the latter to leave North America in years to come. Japan’s contribution to animation couldn’t be ignored either and a huge reason of that is Anime. 

Sources: Sortlist, Kasra Design, Precedence Research, Cognitive Market Research, Screen Daily, MarkWide Research

Animation Industry Segments & Users

• In 2022, CGI is comprised of 85% of the animation market.
• The 3D animation market is expected to be worth over $50 billion by 2025, with a CAGR of 11%.
• The 3D animation market is likely to be worth $72.8 billion in 2032.
• Another source paints a less flattering picture. As per the estimates, the global 3D animation market is expected to be valued at $40 billion by 2028.
• Just like 3D, the 2D animation industry is growing too. The market analysis says that it is expected to reach $92.3 billion usd by the end of 2030.
• Interestingly, the 2D market is mostly dominated by the Asian Pacific countries.

Sources: Linearity, Kasra Design, Sortlist, MarkWide Research

Animation Users Stats

• As you might expect, media and entertainment is the largest end-user of animation videos. It accounted for nearly 60% of the total market by 2022.
• Entertainment holds a 29.75% share of the total animation market as of 2025.
• As a result, Entertainment is still the leading user of animation.
• Animation is a crucial component of gaming. So, it’s not surprising to see that gaming has a 26.73% market share of the total animation market, as of 2025.
• Animation is used for educational purposes, as well. It holds an 18.56% share of the total animation market as of 2025.
• Next up on the list is retail with 11.98% market share.
• Similarly, you must expect Streaming Platforms to be major players in this context, and they are. These platforms accounted for 30% of all animated content consumption in 2022.
• With the rise of streaming platforms, there has also been an increase in demand for high-quality animated content.
•  As you might have expected, streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime are investing heavily in animated content.
• You might be surprised to discover that animation is used for medical visualization and patient education. In fact, healthcare has an 8.07% share of the total animation market as of 2025.
• Surprisingly, as of 2025, the manufacturing industry has a 4.91% market share.
• As much as this industry is growing, it does have its share of challenges. These include a shortage of qualified talent and production costs.
•  In the animation industry, studios have the opportunity to enter new markets and increase content distribution globally.

When an average person thinks of animation, they probably think of games, movies, and shows. These stats show that they aren’t wrong to do so, but animation is used in other sectors, as well. These include, like Retail and Healthcare. At the same time, while the industry is growing, it’s important to note that there are challenges here, too.

Sources: Kasra Design, Sortlist, MarkWide Research

Successful Animation Films & Periods

• Animated films are popular among audiences of all age groups.
• In fact, “Inside Out 2”, which was released in 2024 and earned more than $1.7 billion, was the highest-grossing film of that year. 
• “Frozen 2” (2019) was one of the highest grossing animated movies of all time, with total lifetime earnings equalling $1.45 billion in box office.
• 7 of the 10 most successful animated films in the history of the North American market were released during the 2010s. These included “Incredibles 2” (2018), “The Lion King” (2019), and “Finding Dory” (2016).
• The four biggest studios that utilize animation are Disney, Sony, Netflix, and Pixar.
• Over the last decade, animated films have averaged a 36% return. In comparison, science fiction and fantasy films brought a 26% profit margin. Safe to say that animated films are among the most profitable film genres.
• Lucrative as they might be for the producers, making them isn’t a straightforward task. On the contrary, these films can have a production timeline of up to 10 years or more. 

Sources: MarkWide Research, USA Today, Sortlist, Kasra Design

Stats regarding the Animation Job Market 

• The demand for animation professionals is growing. In 2022, the total number of animation jobs worldwide was 2 million. This number is expected to grow to  2.5 million by 2027.
• As per labor statistics, in 2023, there were 73300 jobs for special effects artists and animators in the United States.
• As per wage statistics, In 2022, the average salary for an animator was $75,000 in the U.S. and $51,500 in the UK. As for Japan, it was $50,000 in 2023.

Sources: Sortlist, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

U.S. Specific Animation Statistics

• The median pay for special effects artists and animators in the U.S. in 2024 was $99,800.
• The U.S. animation industry gives employment to more than 220,000 professionals.
• In fact, the animation development workforce is expected to grow at an annual growth rate of 5%.
• The U.S. is expected to maintain strong growth till 2034.
• In 2022, the U.S. storyboard artists made an average of $65,000. In comparison, production managers and 3D animators made $80,000 and $85,000, respectively, on average.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Precedence Research

Traditional vs Modern Forms of Entertainment 

• As of 2022, animated programming accounted for more than 30% of children’s content on Netflix.
• In the 2019 annual brand love study conducted by market research firm, Smarty Pants, YouTube and Netflix were found to be more popular than Nickelodeon and Disney Channel among U.S. households with children between the ages of 6 and 12.
• Animation is essential for games, and that’s on the rise. In fact, the global gaming market is expected to reach a valuation of $665.77 billion by 2030.
• The video game market’s revenue was $455 billion in 2024, out of which $98.7 billion was generated by mobile games.
• The gaming market’s revenue is expected to exceed $1065.12 billion by 2032.
• The three biggest companies in the video game segment are Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo.
• If you’re still curious about the role of animation in gaming, 60% of video game developers are expected to use animation to make immersive and interactive games by 2025.

Considering how successful animated movies have been, we are likely to see more such content in the future. That will increase the need for specialized talent, which companies will face a shortage of. So, if you’re looking to hone a specialized animation-related skill, the future does seem bright for you.

Sources: Market Data Forecast, Cartoon Brew, Fortune Business Insights, Kasra Design, Sortlist

Animation for Education 

• In 2025, we see greater adoption of animation in educational and training materials. That’s because students retain 60% more information when lessons are presented through animation than traditional methods.
• Much like the gaming market, things are looking good for the E-Learning market, as well. The market growth is expected to increase from $314.03 billion in 2024 to $354.71 billion in 2025. Finally, it is likely to reach a valuation of $625.3 billion in 2029, with a CAGR of 15.2%.

Sources: Market Data Forecast, The Business Research Company

Statistics regarding Animation-related Technologies 

• As of 2022, computer-generated animation comprises almost 85% of the global animation industry.
• Animation is an important part of the VFX process. So, much like the animation market, the future seems to be bright for the VFX market, as well. In the period between 2023 and 2028, the VFX market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.43%, and add $10.50 billion to its market value.
• As per another source, the VFX market is expected to be worth more than $24.3 billion by the end of 2037.
• Advancements in AI motion capture and real-time rendering are making animation production more efficient.
• Innovations and advancements in 3D modeling, VR, AR, and AI will improve animation quality and expand its application across sectors.

While you don’t always associate animation with learning, the E-learning industry is going strong. Similarly, technologies like 3D modeling will make the quality of animation better. Another reason for animation fans to rejoice!

Sources: Precedence Research, Kasra Design

Looking at all these numbers and trends, I’d argue that we’re living through a golden age of animation. The industry is not only growing rapidly but also expanding into new territories and applications that would have seemed impossible just a decade ago.

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These insights are based on several market research studies and trend analyses.