If you’ve ever wanted to explore facts about the animation market, you’ve come to the right place.
We’ve put together the ultimate list of statistics to get you started.
Let’s dive in!
General animation market statistics in 2024
- The global animation market size will reach $400 billion by the end of this year
- North America is home to the largest animation market
- Disney is the largest animation studio in the world, followed by Sony and Netflix
- Computer-generated animation makes up 85% of the market
- Frozen 2 is the highest-grossing animated film of all time
- Animated movies have a 30% higher profit margin than non-animated movies
- 3 in 4 families with children own at least one animated movie
Growth of the animation market
The global animation market is poised to reach $400 billion by the end of 2023, up from $391 billion in 2022.
(Yahoo Finance and Statista)
The animation market has steadily increased in recent years. In 2018, it was worth $250 billion and grew to $270 billion by 2021. At the end of 2021, it was worth $372.4 billion.
The global 3D animation market is expected to nearly double to $40 billion in the next five years.
(EMR)
In 2022, the market size was valued at $20.56 billion. Experts predict that the market will grow to reach a value of $40.2 billion by 2028.
When it comes to 3D animation software, the market will double in size by 2028.
(Statista)
The global 3D animation software market size reached $20.4 billion last year – up nearly 12% from 2021. Figures estimate it will be worth as much as $39.4 billion in the next five years.
The global animation market will have a compound annual growth rate of more than 5% in the next seven years.
(Precedence Research)
The global animation market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.2% between 2023 and 2030, mainly due to a growing media and entertainment industry.
The global gaming market will reach a high of $281.77 billion this year.
(Fortune Business Insights)
That’s up from just under $250 billion in 2022. The market will be worth an estimated $666 billion by 2030.
Shooter games are the most popular, but role-playing, sports, and action games are also increasing in popularity.
The animation and VFX market is currently valued at $181.38 billion and is expected to grow by 9.43% in the next five years.
(Mordor Intelligence)
Experts predict a market value of $284.62 billion by 2028, primarily due to the rise in animation and VFX solutions, specifically in film and digital theatres.
Largest global animation markets
The Asia Pacific animation market will grow the fastest.
(Yahoo Finance)
The region’s market, led by Japan and India, is expected to grow the fastest, with a CAGR of 8%, by 2025.
Japan’s animation market is the largest in Asia and is valued at $18 billion.
(Abdalslam)
That’s unsurprising, given that the country is one of the largest exporters of animated films and TV series, along with the United States.
The animation market in China is also growing rapidly, increasing in value by $14 billion since 2018.
(Yahoo Finance)
In 2018, China’s animation market was worth $20 billion. Today, it’s worth $34 billion.
The EU’s animation industry is valued at more than $5 billion.
(Abdalslam)
Altogether, the industry generates more than $2 billion in export revenue every year. Germany holds over 10% of the market share.
South Korea’s animation industry grows by as much as 20% annually.
(Abdalslam)
Most of the country’s animation output (80%) is exported to international markets, creating more than $1 billion in annual export revenue.
Currently valued at over $1 billion, Canada’s animation industry is poised to grow by 10% in the coming year.
(Abdalslam)
Animation generates more than $500 million in export revenue for Canada each year and generated as much as $2.4 billion in production volume in the early 2020s.
Latin America’s animation industry has been valued at more than $500 million, with an expected growth rate of 10-15%.
(Abdalslam)
The industry generates the region more than $100 million in export revenue each year.
Brazil is Latin America’s largest animation producer.
(Abdalslam)
It holds 36% of the region’s market share. It’s followed by Mexico, with 26% of the market share, and Argentina, which holds 20%.
Animation employment and job segment statistics
Worldwide, the demand for skilled animation professionals has grown by 30%.
(LinkedIn)
Because of the increase in things like 3D mobile games and apps, the need for animators has increased by 30% since 2018.
Animation jobs in the gaming industry increased by 35% from 2018 to 2023
(Marketsplash)
Also rapidly growing, the gaming industry has noticed a higher employee demand.
Animation industry by country
The United States animation industry employs more than 220,000 professionals, and jobs are expected to grow at 5% each year until 2031.
(LinkedIn, US Bureau of Labor Statistics)
The industry is expected to see a change in jobs of 3,200 each year. As of 2023, roughly 1 in 5 working in animation were freelancers.
On average, US animation industry employees earn an average of $78,790 per year.
(US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Yahoo Finance, Statista)
As of 2022, storyboard artists earned an average salary of $65,000; production managers make an average of $80,000.
Japan’s animation industry is responsible for more than 50,000 jobs.
(Abdalslam)
Japan is the largest animation market in the Asia Pacific region and acts as one of the biggest producers of animated series and films, so this is unsurprising.
As of 2022, the United Kingdom’s animation industry has more than 12,000 employees.
(LinkedIn, Statista)
The median salary for animation professionals in the UK is £40,000.
Animation jobs in Canada increased by 30% in five years.
(LinkedIn)
Between 2018 and 2023, the job market increased by 30% in Canada.
The animation employment rate within the EU grows at nearly 10% per year.
(Abdalslam)
With demand for animation growing within the EU, the job market increases by 5-7% annually.
Animation studio and production statistics
Computer-generated animation makes up most of the animation market.
(Statista)
In 2022, computer-generated animation made up 85% of the market.
Bringing an animated, feature-length film to the big screen can take almost ten years.
(Adobe)
Animated films take far longer than live-action films to produce, with some taking as long as five to seven years.
Even large studios can take years – Frozen 2 took four years to create.
Approximately half of all animated films produced in 2022 were from North America.
(Yahoo Finance)
That includes Luck, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and Lightyear.
Animated television production has grown by 4% year over year since 2020.
(Statista)
Some of the most popular animated TV shows currently on air include Family Guy, Harley Quinn, and The Owl House.
In 2022, animated movies made $21 billion at the box office.
(Statista, Box Office Mojo)
The top-performing animated films of 2022 were Minions: The Rise of Gru ($369,695,210), Puss in Boots: The Last Wish ($185,535,345), and DC League of Super-Pets ($93,657,117).
3D animation is the most expensive form of animation.
(Abdalslam)
Budgets range from $100,000 to $300,000 per minute of footage produced. That could be as much as $27 million for a 90-minute film!
3D model animation will increase by more than 50% by 2026.
(Statista)
An increase of 53% by 2026 will push the market value past $11 billion.
More than 80% of animated content can be found on television and streaming platforms.
(Abdalslam)
That includes platforms like Disney+, Netflix, and Prime Video.
Disney accounts for 25% of all animated content consumed.
(Abdalslam)
Pixar is responsible for 20% of all animated content consumed, making it the second-most popular animation studio. It’s followed by Dreamworks (15%).
Animated content on streaming platforms such as Disney+ generates billions in revenue every year.
(Abdalslam)
Also called the home media release market, it makes $10 billion in revenue annually.
Frozen 2 is the highest-grossing animated film of all time – it earned $1,453,683,476 globally.
(The Numbers)
At the time of writing, it’s followed by The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Frozen, Incredibles 2, and Minions.
Advertising in animation grows by 7% each year.
(Statista)
By 2025, it will help generate $40 billion in revenue.
Stop-motion accounts for just 5% of the global animation market.
(Abdalslam)
It has become the least popular form of animation.
Animation audience trend statistics
Streaming platforms accounted for 30% of all animation consumption in 2022.
(Statista, Marketsplash)
Further, 60% of animated content was consumed on digital platforms like Netflix, Amazon, and Disney+.
The animated series on streaming platforms saw a 45% increase in viewership in recent years.
(Yahoo Finance)
Research shows that people binge-watch animated features and prefer to engage with serialized, animated storytelling.
With a revenue of $12 billion, Disney was the highest-grossing animation studio in the world last year.
(Yahoo Finance)
Animated features by Pixar average more than $800 million worldwide at the box office.
In just four years, the number of animated movies increased by 20%.
(Statista)
Between 2018 and 2022, the number of animated feature films grew by 20% across all major studios.
The average profit margin of animated movies is 30% higher than non-animated movies.
(Statista)
They consistently rank as some of the highest-grossing movies worldwide. So far in 2023, an animated film (Super Mario Bros.) is the highest-grossing movie, outperforming even Barbie at the time of writing.
Animated films have seen a 30% increase in diversity.
(Marketsplash)
Studios are moving toward featuring underrepresented cultures, inclusivity, and more global storytelling in their animated features.
Animated content appeals to people of all income levels and ages.
(Abdalslam)
40% of viewers earn less than $50,000 annually, and 40% earn more than $75,000 annually. Moreover, all ages watch it – but the 18-24 age group has the highest viewership.
80% of users will watch an entire animated video.
(Abdalslam)
Animated content drives engagement, with 80% saying that they’re more likely to watch an entire video if it’s animated.
Animated VR and AR will increase by 20% every year.
(Abdalslam)
Animation allows for more complex imagery and more immersive environments for users.
The average household spends $200 per year on animated content.
(Abdalslam)
This includes annual subscriptions to streaming services.
3 in 4 families with children own at least one animated movie.
(Abdalslam)
Chances are, it’s Lion King or Toy Story – two of the most popular animated films Disney and Pixar have ever made.
More than 40% of children’s TV programming is animated.
(Yahoo Finance)
The most popular children’s animated content includes Peppa Pig and Bluey.
Over 90% of educational institutions use animation in their curriculum.
(Abdalslam, Wyzowl)
Studies have found that it helps boost student engagement by as much as 70%.
Nearly 65% of businesses incorporate animation into their marketing plan.
(Abdalslam)
And as many as 40% of consumers say they’d rather watch animated explainers than read text.
More than 1 in 10 advertisements use animation.
(Statista)
15% of advertisements created in 2022 used animation in some form, including for large companies such as McDonald’s and Nespresso.
Action and adventure animation accounts for 40% of animated content consumed.
(Abdalslam)
That makes it the most popular animated genre, followed closely by comedy at 30%.
Biggest animation industry in the world
North America holds the title of the largest animation industry in the world.
(AnimationXpress)
That’s because a majority of the largest animation studios are housed there, including Disney, Sony, and Netflix. However, the highest CAGR comes from Asia Pacific.
With a revenue of $82.7 billion, Disney is the largest animation studio.
(Zippia
It’s followed by Sony ($81 billion), Netflix ($32 billion), DreamWorks ($916 million), Pixar ($770 million), and Nickelodeon ($628 million).
Conclusion
There you have it – those are the top animation market statistics.
What statistics surprised you?
Ultimately, the animation market is a rapidly growing market – and the way AI is being adopted will inevitably have a big impact on the industry.
In other words, the animation market is due to grow fast in the incoming years.
Read more:
The Top Types of Animation Jobs
Sources
