Manga Sales in North America hit All-Time High in 2020

In a new report from ICv2, Sales of Print Manga have hit an all-time high in 2020 in North America, passing the previous set in 2007. The Growth featured a strong sales of backlist, including box sets, driven by increased streaming of anime during Covid shutdowns.

This new high comes up after a steep decline in 2008 and 2012, this was due to several factors, the bankruptcy of the bookstore chain Borders, the global financial crisis, a decline in anime on North American television, and a smaller backlist of previously unaired anime in North America.

If you recall in April, the NPD Bookscan Report for 2021 showed a 29% increase overall in print book sales in the United States, the highest volume of print book sales in a first-quarter since NPD Bookscan began tracking book sales in 2004. In particular, the report showed a large growth in the category of graphic novels (up to 4 million from the first quarter of 2020), with manga accounting for 80% of growth in that category.

For more information on this development and a detailed chart for the rise of Manga Sales, please check out ICv2.