A Japanese market analysis company commissioned a poll examining how people around the world have consumed anime over the past five years. The results are in — and for some, they may come as a surprise.

The Anime Global White Paper 2026 powered by Animeasure® was commissioned by GEM Partners and Interpret to survey 15,000 people across 15 countries, with the publicly published results focusing on nine major nations: Japan, the United States, China, India, South Korea, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Brazil. The survey, overall, did not include any data from Canada.

Overall, Japan reported modest growth, with a 12% increase in anime viewership — representing 55% of those surveyed. In the US, anime only saw a 17% growth over the period going from 10% in 2020 to 22% in 2025. India and South Korea saw the highest growth, with increases of 30% and 32% respectively between 2020 and 2025.

A translated table is below:

Top Five Genres
Japan	United States	China	India	South Korea	France	Germany	England	Brazil
Isekai (32%)	Action-adventure	Action-adventure	Comedy	Action-adventure	Action-adventure	Action-adventure	Action-adventure	Action-adventure
Action-adventure	Comedy	Science fiction	Action-adventure	Isekai	Science fiction	Science fiction	Fantasy	Science fiction
Comedy	Science fiction	Comedy	Science fiction	Comedy	Comedy	Fantasy	Science fiction	Comedy
Slice of life	Fantasy	Slice of life	Thriller	Drama	Fantasy	Romance	Comedy	Fantasy
Drama	Horror	Drama	Drama	Slice of life	Horror	Horror	Thriller	Horror

Viewers listed action‑adventure as their favourite genre to watch (ranking first in the US, China, South Korea, France, Germany, the UK, and Brazil), followed closely by science fiction and then comedy. Only in Japan did isekai take the top spot, while India favoured comedy above all other genres.

A translated table is below:

Top Five Anime
Japan	United States	China	India	South Korea	France	Germany	England	Brazil
Detective Conan (Case Closed)	Pokémon	Detective Conan (Case Closed)	Pokémon	Detective Conan (Case Closed)	ONE PIECE	Pokémon	Pokémon	Pokémon
ONE PIECE	Dragon Ball (excluding Dragon Ball DAIMA)	ONE PIECE	Dragon Ball (excluding Dragon Ball DAIMA)	Pokémon	Dragon Ball (excluding Dragon Ball DAIMA)	ONE PIECE	Dragon Ball (excluding Dragon Ball DAIMA)	Naruto / Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba	Naruto / Boruto: Naruto Next Generations	Pokémon	Naruto / Boruto: Naruto Next Generations	ONE PIECE	Naruto / Boruto: Naruto Next Generations	Naruto / Boruto: Naruto Next Generations	Death Note	Dragon Ball (excluding Dragon Ball DAIMA)
Pokémon	Sailor Moon	Naruto / Boruto: Naruto Next Generations	Attack on Titan	Attack on Titan	Pokémon	Attack on Titan	Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba	ONE PIECE
Dragon Ball (excluding Dragon Ball DAIMA)	ONE PIECE	Dragon Ball (excluding Dragon Ball DAIMA)	ONE PIECE	Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba	Attack on Titan	Dragon Ball (excluding Dragon Ball DAIMA)	Attack on Titan	Yu‑Gi‑Oh!

Despite ending ten years ago, Naruto continues to command a significant following. Alongside its sequel, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, it ranked third in the United States, India, France, and Germany. Pokémon was the most-watched title in the US, India, Germany, the UK, and Brazil, while ONE PIECE, Dragon Ball (excluding Dragon Ball DAIMA), and Detective Conan rounded out the top three across multiple regions.

Netflix led as service of choice in seven of the nine countries (the US, India, South Korea, France, Germany, the UK, and Brazil), followed by YouTube and Amazon Prime Video. Crunchyroll placed within the top ten but only reached third place in Brazil. Meanwhile, Chinese anime fans primarily watched on domestic platforms such as bilibili, iQIYI, and Tencent Video.

The publicly available information is only a sampling of the full 47‑page report, which was published on April 16^th, 2026. The annual survey takes place every September and October and is conducted online. The full report, available in Japanese or English, will set you back a hefty ¥550,000 JPY (roughly $4,700 CAD).

Source: PR TIMES

© GEM Partners

 

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