Sales of manga comics in Japan are estimated to have topped 700 billion yen in 2024 for the first time, rising 1.5 percent from the previous year, industry data showed Tuesday, driven by growth in digital sales as physical media declines.

It marked the fifth consecutive year of record sales, with digital formats now making up 72.7 percent of the 704.3 billion yen market. Sales of print versions continued to decline after a boost in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic faded, the Research Institute for Publications said.

Sales of digital format comics totaled 512.2 billion yen, up 6.0 percent and around double their 2019 level, although the institute said growth is slowing.

Sales of physical comic books and magazines stood at 192.1 billion yen, down 8.8 percent from a year ago.

The results come as several popular series concluded last year, such as "Jujutsu Kaisen," "My Hero Academia" and "Oshi no Ko."

Sales of manga accounted for 44.8 percent of the country's publishing market, up 1.3 percentage point.