No.3881
Children-Related Business Market in Japan: Key Research Findings 2025
Children-related Business Market Increased by 2.2% Year over Year to Reach 10,905,900 Million Yen in FY2024
Yano Research Institute (the President, Takashi Mizukoshi) surveyed the domestic market for children-related businesses, and discovered the market trends per product category, market player trends, and outlook for the future.
Market Overview
Size of the children-related business market is estimated at 10,905,900 million yen in FY2024, up 2.2% from the previous fiscal year, based on the sales of businesses (except for few segments that are calculated based on box-office revenue).
Although rising prices are affecting consumer behavior, prompting stronger saving intentions and reduced spending, the children-related businesses market continued to grow steadily in FY2024. The growth was driven mainly by two areas: entertainment/amusement and leisure (9 segments) and childcare services (2 segments).
When examining trend per category, entertainment/amusement/leisure, foods, and childcare services all sustained growth, while children's clothing (3 segments) showed only modest growth. Demand for educational products and services (10 segments) has leveled off.
Noteworthy Topics
Trends in Major Segments of Children-Related Business Market
Three categories comprising a majority of the children-related business market are “childcare services”, “educational services and products”, and “entertainment/amusement/leisure”.
The childcare services category, the largest within the market, consists of two segments: nursery schools and after-school care, with nursery schools accounting for the larger share. However, the accelerated decline in birthrates and a slowdown in new facility openings have caused the nursery school segment to lose momentum. Even so, ongoing public funding aimed at curbing the birthrate decline and strengthening parenting support has sustained market growth. In FY2024, the segment benefited from positive growth, supported by revised guidelines for nursery teacher allocation and expanded subsidies that raised teacher salaries.
The after school care segment also expanded, driven by the annual rise in demand for such services and by the initiatives to increase childcare fees, which lifted the average service fee per child.
Future Outlook
In addition to the decreased demand caused by falling birth rates, ongoing inflation is adversely impacting the children-related business market. Nevertheless, the markets for childcare services and entertainment/amusement/leisure anticipate growth, as these segments can look forward to steady growth supported by the rise of double-income households. The children-related business market size (total of 6 categories/34 segments) is forecasted to reach 11,256,200 million yen in FY2025, up 3.2% over the previous fiscal year.
Research Outline
2.Research Object： Companies providing products and services for children
3.Research Methogology： Face-to-face interviews by specialized researchers (including online interviews), surveys via telephone and email, and literature research
Children-related Business Market
The domestic children-related business market in this research refers to the domestic market of 6 categories/34 segments of products and services for children, based on the sales of businesses (except for some segments in entertainment/amusement/leisure category, which are calculated based on box-office revenue). The intended age group for the products and services is generally considered to be from birth to 15 years, although this varies depending on the specific segment.
＜Products and Services in the Market＞
1. Entertainment/Amusement/Leisure (toys, household console games, publication for children, DVDs/Blue-rays for children, bicycles for children, movies for children shown at cinema, amusement parks/theme parks, game arcades/gaming facilities, indoor playgrounds) 2. Educational Services and Products (cram schools, private kindergartens, special education for gifted children, sports programs for infants, lesson classes for children, sports classes and clubs for children, learning books, stationery for children, desks and chairs for children, school bags [randoseru]) 3. Foods (baby formula, baby food, confectionery sold with toys) 4. Children’s Apparel (clothes, school uniforms, shoes) 5. Commodities and Services for Children (baby diapers, baby strollers, baby cribs/cots and beddings [comforters], child car seat/booster seat, photo studio for children’s pictures, mobile phones/smartphones for children, security goods & services for children) 6. Childcare Services (nursery schools/day-care centers, after-school childcare)
Published Report
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