Reviewing data on anime popularity by country gives you a look at how its influence has spread across the world.
Without a doubt, Japan takes the cake, with 75.87% of its population consistently watching anime.
There are many factors that play into why anime is more popular in one country compared to another.
Although this is true, this article will prove that anime is appreciated on a global scale, almost anywhere you look.
Key Statistics
- The first three-day turnout for Demon Slayer in Japan was 3.4 million viewers
- Demand share for animes in English is 84.3% in the United States
- Based on data from 2021, Naruto is the most popular anime in the Philippines
- Japanese animation is the 5th most popular sub-genre in France
- There are over 107.9 million anime viewers in Brazil
- The anime film called “Your Name” is the highest-grossing non-English film in South Korea
- Mexico has nearly 66 million people who watch anime
- Anime is the most popular subgenre in Malaysia, with 42.7% being fans of the genre
- Canada’s largest anime convention, Anime North, boasted 34,590 attendants in 2018
- Attack on Titan had 16.52x the average demand in Taiwan from February to April in 2021 compared to other countries
Anime Popularity by Country: A World Review
There are a few key places throughout the world where anime is known to have significantly large fanbases.
Some of this comes down to population size, but it also has to do with who ends up in the media more.
Nevertheless, it’s evident that anime has found its way all across the world, and it’s becoming more popular with each passing year.
Anime has been around long enough now that there’s plenty of data to highlight its effect on different countries and viewers.
Keep in mind this list is structured to showcase the countries where anime is the most popular first.
1. Japan
It’s no secret that anime is popular in Japan, especially considering that’s where it all originated.
To highlight how popular it is, the show Demon Slayer pulled 3.4 million viewers in the first three days in Japan.
Back in the 1960s, anime in Japan was primarily targeted toward children.
Over time, this eventually branched out into the general public.
Even more so once animation studios started making TV shows and movies for adults.
At this time, roughly 75.87% of Japan’s population watches anime.
This roughly comes out to 63.2 million people.
We won’t ever see a time when anime isn’t popular in Japan, and the rest of the world can thank them for their beloved creation.
(EpicDope/WorldPopulationReview)
2. United States
At this point, it can’t be argued that anime is popular in the United States.
While many people enjoy watching anime in its original language, the demand share for animes in English is 84.3% in the U.S.
This has led to ongoing controversy as many people feel that dubbed anime takes away from the original experience.
Overall, people who watch animes dubbed in English simply don’t want to have to read subtitles.
For others, they can’t stand the sound of the dubbed audio, as it usually sounds nothing like the original.
Current data on anime in the U.S. states that 71.86% of the population watches anime.
This amounts to somewhere around 167.6 million people.
The population in the U.S. is one of the biggest in the world, and it’ll remain a large demographic of the global anime fanbase.
(EpicDope/WorldPopulationReview)
3. Philippines
The Philippines is no stranger to anime, but like any other country, its anime fans come with many of their own preferences.
Interestingly, Naruto seems to stand tall in the Philippines, as it’s still the most popular anime in the country.
Some people don’t know that many popular anime shows were animated in the Philippines through Toei Animation Philippines.
Some of these shows include:
- One Piece
- Dragon Ball
- Slam Dunk
- Sailor Moon
The anime world is a lot bigger than you might expect.
While Japan is the hub for all things anime, there are many other significant players in different parts of the world as well.
Many other anime shows are popular in the Philippines, but Naruto hit many more data points online than others.
Naruto garnered 627,764 data points in 2021, and the close second was Attack on Titan with 424,223 data points.
(EpicDope/WorldPopulationReview)
4. France
Anime has definitely found its way across Europe, and it happened in a similar timeframe to many other parts of the world.
France started to pick up on anime between the 70’s and 90’s.
Nowadays, it’s a staple in the country like many others, but it took decades before it received widespread recognition.
France has around 34 million anime viewers, accounting for roughly 62.5 of its population.
On another interesting note, Japanese is the second most translated language in France.
It’s just a small perspective on how Japanese culture and animation have influenced the French over time.
When anime was first seeing its boom on digital streaming platforms, the French had access to three different platforms.
These included:
- Crunchyroll
- ADN
- Wakanim
This is significant because many other countries, like the U.S., could only stream anime through Crunchyroll for quite some time.
As expected, younger generations in France are a driving factor in the growing interest and success of anime.
(EpicDope/WorldPopulationReview)
5. Brazil
Outside of anime’s influence, Brazil has a very long history with Japan that dates back nearly 500 years.
This small detail plays a role in why anime would become popular in Brazil down the line.
It isn’t the only reason, but Brazilians are no strangers to Japanese culture.
During the 1960s, anime started to get picked up by people in Brazil. In modern day, there are 107.9 million anime viewers in Brazil.
That’s a little over half of the entire Brazilian population.
It’s evident that anime has come a long way in Brazil, and it makes sense why it’s in the top five on this list.
You may be surprised to learn that there’s a lot of locally produced anime in Brazil as well.
For example, Anime Music Videos (AMVs) are pretty popular in that part of the world.
Brazilian channels on YouTube focusing on AMVs have amassed more than 10 million views, and this is only one medium for consumption.
If it isn’t clear already, people in Brazil like anime, as Crunchyroll Brazil’s YouTube channel boasts over 1.65 million subscribers.
(EpicDope/WorldPopulationReview/YouTube)
6. South Korea
While it took some time for anime to really take off in South Korea, it’s now in full force.
Around 50.7% of the South Korean population watches anime, and this comes out to around 24.7 million people.
Many people in South Korea love entertainment as a whole, and anime is something that has a growing fan base.
You also want to consider the influence of celebrities on that side of the world.
It’s common for South Koreans to mimic their favorite celebrities’ interests, habits, looks, and so forth.
Considering many famous South Koreans openly watch anime, this has influenced many of their fans to do the same.
Unsurprisingly, Netflix has also played an important role in the expanding interest in anime throughout South Korea.
Now that citizens can easily access popular shows like Naruto, Attack on Titan, One Piece, and many others can all be found in one place, South Koreans are showing more interest.
Although Netflix plays its role, South Korea’s leading source of anime comes from the country’s most popular cartoon channel, Tooniverse.
(EpicDope/WorldPopulationReview)
7. Mexico
Thanks to the availability of Spanish-dubbed animes over the years, this has inevitably led to a sizable interest in anime throughout Mexico.
Current data states that 45.58% of Mexico’s population watches anime.
This percentage comes out to roughly 65.9 million people.
If it isn’t apparent already, it’s clear that anime is widely popular, with millions of viewers spread out through many countries across the world.
The start of anime in Mexico goes back to 1985, with the release of Dragon Ball catching the attention of children, like many other countries.
A city in Mexico called Tijuana is considered the hub for anime culture in Mexico.
You can find anime-themed cafes and multiple conventions per year.
Speaking of which, Mexico’s longest-running anime convention, La Mole, has been going strong since 1996.
(EpicDope/WorldPopulationReview)
8. Malaysia
If you were to set your eyes on the 60,000+ people who visit The Comic Festival in Malaysia every year, you wouldn’t question their fan base.
Malaysia has a thriving community of anime fans, boasting 16.7 million viewers throughout the country.
That number amounts to roughly 42.7% of the population.
Anime is the most popular sub-genre in Malaysia, and like anywhere else, there are several animes that are widely popular among citizens.
You can see a few of these anime titles listed down below.
Most popular anime titles in Malaysia include:
- One Piece
- Case Closed
- Naruto
- Doraemon
- Dragon Ball
You’ll also find Malaysian cultural references in many animes like Hyouka.
Although Malaysia may have a smaller population overall, it still brings millions of viewers to the industry.
There are also several popular anime shops in Malaysia that churn a hefty profit from local and international anime fans.
(EpicDope/WorldPopulationReview)
9. Canada
Although Canada was introduced to anime earlier than some other parts of the world, it has still taken much longer for the anime fan base to grow in this region.
Nevertheless, 34.67% of Canada’s population watches anime, which comes out to about 18.4 million people.
Japanese animation holds the fifth spot in the most popular sub-genres in Canada, but keep in mind this data was taken from 2021.
Overall, interest in anime is growing throughout Canada, and they host their own anime conventions that bring in thousands of fans.
The largest would be a convention called Anime North, which hosted 34,590 attendees in 2018.
Covid definitely impacted these numbers, but anime fans have been in full force since things have started going back to normal.
(EpicDope/WorldPopulationReview)
10. Taiwan
With collaborations between big-name brands and anime franchises and hosting cosplay events and conventions, Taiwan is no stranger to anime.
Around 32.5% of Taiwan’s population watches anime, and this percentage translates to roughly 11.6 million people.
The popular anime film “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train” generated $12.6 million in a little over two weeks in Taiwan.
This was the best-selling animated feature film of all time in Taiwan.
You’ll also find a few core anime distributors in Taiwan, which are a big part of the supporting base for anime in the country.
Some of these companies include:
- DOCOMO
- Far EasTone Telecommunications
- Muse Communication
The third company in that list distributes anime for Southeast Asia, Mainland China, Hong Kong, and a few other regions.
In short, anime popularity in Taiwan is growing rapidly as we speak, and they’re a key player in the industry in their own way.
(EpicDope/WorldPopulationReview)
Conclusion
This only covers 10 different countries where anime has spread its influence, but it definitely doesn’t stop there.
However, the countries mentioned in this article are vital players in the growth of the anime industry as a whole.
You may not be an anime fan yourself, but it can’t be denied that the industry has an impressive global influence.
This article provided several insights into anime popularity by country to show how its fan base has grown across the globe.
