A survey conducted in Japan in May 2022 showed that 58.1 percent of the respondents aged 20 to 29 years old read manga. While people in their twenties had the highest share of avid readers, those in their thirties were the age group with the highest share of occasional readers.

The Japanese manga market

Manga are a popular pastime in Japan. The medium constitutes a large market and makes up a big part of the Japanese publishing industry. Titles are usually divided into different categories based on demographic target groups. Next to works for young children, one can find categories such as shonen manga aimed at boys, shojo manga aimed at girls, seinen manga for young adult men, or josei manga for adult women. Although manga are often associated with Japan’s youth culture, there are many different genres that appeal to readers’ tastes, and it is common for people to read works not targeting one’s own demographic group.

Growing importance of digital consumption

For many decades, it was a common pattern for new works to be first introduced to readers by print magazines before being turned into comic books. More recently, digitally published manga have significantly expanded their market share as the spread of smartphones and tablets has made the mobile consumption of digital content more convenient. The 2010s saw a proliferation of apps catering to manga readers, which also increased the competition for the established publishing houses. Apps employ different monetization models but often offer some chapters for free as a teaser for additional content that can be purchased.

A survey conducted in Japan in May 2022 showed that more than 18 percent of the respondents often read manga. According to a breakdown by age group, people in their twenties had the highest share of avid readers, while those in their thirties were the age group with the highest share of occasional readers.