Toy Industry Statistics (2026)

 

 

Research & Data

Toy Industry Statistics (2026)

This page compiles publicly available research and industry data on the toy market, sustainability trends, and resale growth. Figures are updated annually.

The toy industry's growth brings both opportunity and responsibility. As resale and circular models expand, lifecycle data becomes increasingly relevant for brands, retailers, and families alike.

📅 Last updated: July 2026 📊 Data years: 2024–2025 🔗 Sources cited inline
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The Global Toy Market

Market size, scale, and economic footprint

Global toy sales reached $123.0 billion in 2025, up 8% over 2024 — the strongest growth since 2021 (Circana / The Toy Association). The U.S. market generates approximately $45.6 billion in annual retail toy sales from an estimated 3 billion toys sold each year.

$123.0B
Global toy sales in 2025
Total global toy market size in 2025, up 8% over 2024 (revised to $114.3 billion) and up 24% over five years, per Circana's 2026 Global Toy Report.
Source: The Toy Association / Circana — Global Sales Data (2026)
$45.6B
U.S. retail toy sales per year
The estimated 3 billion toys sold annually in the United States generate approximately $45.6 billion in retail toy sales.
Source: The Toy Association — Economic Impact Data
~3B
Toy units sold in the U.S. annually
An estimated 3 billion individual toy units are sold across the United States each year — roughly 9 units per person.
Source: The Toy Association — Economic Impact Data
661,809
U.S. jobs supported by the toy industry
Full-time equivalent jobs generating approximately $41.7 billion in wages, part of the industry's $155.7 billion total annual U.S. economic impact.
Source: The Toy Association — Economic Impact Data
+7%
Global toy sales growth, full year 2025
Global toy sales rose 7% in value in 2025 — the strongest growth since 2021. For the first time in Circana's tracking history, all 12 major markets grew simultaneously. Units sold rose 3% and average selling price climbed 3%.
Source: Circana — Global Toy Industry Full Year 2025 (Jan 2026)
+6%
U.S. toy dollar sales growth, full year 2025
After two years of decline, the U.S. toy industry returned to growth in 2025 with dollar sales up 6%, ASP up 4%, and units up 3%. Games & puzzles (+37%), building sets (+15%), and explorative toys (+20%) contributed 92% of all growth.
Source: Circana — U.S. Toy Industry Full Year 2025 (Feb 2026)
Collectibles grew 32% in 2025 and now account for almost 19% of all global toy dollar sales. Building sets grew for the sixth consecutive year in 2025 (+18% globally, +15% U.S.), supported by licensed properties such as Formula 1.
Source: Circana Global & U.S. Full Year 2025 Reports (Jan–Feb 2026)
♻️

The Secondhand & Resale Economy

Market size, consumer behavior, and growth of pre-owned goods

93% of Americans bought at least one secondhand item in 2025 (OfferUp), and the U.S. kids & baby resale market is projected to reach $12.8 billion by 2030 (Mercari). U.S. online resale is growing 13% a year toward $40 billion by 2029 (ThredUp).

$12.8B
Projected U.S. kids & baby resale market by 2030
The secondhand market for children's and baby products — including toys, clothing, and gear — was valued at $7 billion in 2021 and is projected to grow 83.5% by 2030. Curated recommerce marketplaces are emerging as infrastructure solutions within this ecosystem.
Source: Mercari Reuse Report via PR Newswire (2022)
$13B
Value of unused kids' items in U.S. homes
American households collectively hold an estimated 272.6 million kids' and baby items they no longer use — worth approximately $391 per household.
Source: Mercari Reuse Report via PR Newswire (2022)
23%
Online resale growth rate in 2024
Online resale saw accelerated growth for the second consecutive year in 2024 — its strongest growth rate since 2021 — and is projected to reach $40B by 2029.
Source: ThredUp 13th Annual Resale Report (2025)
46%
Consumers who prefer secondhand over new
46% of consumers say if they can find an item secondhand, they won't buy it new. Among younger generations (Gen Z and Millennials), that figure rises to 55%.
Source: ThredUp 13th Annual Resale Report (2025)
93%
Americans who bought a secondhand item in 2025
93% of Americans purchased at least one pre-owned item in the past year (OfferUp 2025). 70% say the stigma around secondhand has lessened — driven by sustainability awareness, social sharing, and easier apps.
Source: OfferUp 2025 Recommerce Report
58%
U.S. consumers who shopped secondhand apparel in 2024
A record 58% of U.S. consumers shopped secondhand apparel in 2024, up 6 percentage points from 2023 — an all-time high in ThredUp's annual survey.
Source: ThredUp 13th Annual Resale Report (2025) — Buyer Trends
$306.5B
U.S. recommerce market projected value by 2030
The U.S. recommerce market is projected to grow 34% by 2030, reaching $306.5 billion — equivalent to 8% of total retail spending. 75% of this resale activity is outside fashion, spanning toys, electronics, and sporting goods.
Source: OfferUp 2025 Recommerce Report
$78.8B
Projected U.S. secondhand market by 2030
The U.S. secondhand market grew nearly 4x faster than the broader retail clothing market in 2025 and is on track to reach $78.8 billion by 2030. Globally, secondhand is now a $393 billion market — roughly 10% of total apparel spend.
Source: ThredUp 14th Annual Resale Report (April 2026)
Toycycle Synthesis

Mercari estimates U.S. households hold $13 billion worth of unused children's items — equivalent to roughly 29 cents of every dollar of the $45.6 billion spent on new toys at U.S. retail each year sitting idle in homes. This dormant stock represents both an economic inefficiency and one of the largest addressable supply pools in the pre-owned toy ecosystem.

Calculation based on: Mercari Reuse Report (2022) + The Toy Association — Economic Impact Data
59% of U.S. parents said they rely on secondhand products for family needs as of March 2025, a share that exceeds 50% even among high-income families. Two-thirds of American parents surveyed by Mercari said they had purchased kids' products secondhand in the past year — with toys the second-largest children's resale category by dollar value ($1.3B, behind clothing at $1.7B).
Sources: Morning Consult (March 2025); Mercari Reuse Report (2022)
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Toy Waste & Environmental Impact

Plastic use, landfill data, and the environmental footprint of consumer toys

Only 9% of plastic waste is effectively recycled worldwide (OECD), and an estimated 80% of plastic toys end up in landfills, incinerators, or the natural environment (Yale Environment Review) — because the mixed, molded plastics in toys are rejected by most municipal recycling programs.

Only 9%
Of plastic waste effectively recycled globally
The OECD's Global Plastics Outlook found that just 9% of all plastic waste is successfully recycled globally, while 50% goes to sanitary landfills and 22% to uncontrolled dumpsites or the natural environment.
Source: OECD — Global Plastics Outlook (2022)
12%
Of all global plastic waste from consumer goods
Consumer goods — the category that includes toys — account for 12% of all plastic waste globally, according to the OECD. Nearly two-thirds of plastic waste comes from products with lifespans under five years.
Source: OECD — Global Plastics Outlook (2022)
~80%
Plastic toys that end up in landfills or waste streams
An estimated 80% of plastic toys eventually enter landfills, incinerators, or the natural environment, as most municipal recycling programs do not accept the mixed, molded plastics found in toys.
Source: Yale Environment Review (Yale University)
400M+
Tonnes of plastic produced globally each year
Humanity now produces more than 400 million tonnes of plastic annually, much of which ends up in the environment. Global plastic waste is projected to almost triple by 2060 if current trends continue.
Source: UNEP — Plastic Pollution; OECD (2022)
3.4%
Of global GHG emissions attributable to plastics
Plastics contribute 3.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions across their lifecycle — 90% from production and conversion from fossil fuels — generating 1.8 billion tonnes of GHGs in 2019.
Source: OECD — Global Plastics Outlook (2022)
18.5%
Share of U.S. landfilled waste that is plastic
U.S. landfills received 27 million tons of plastic in 2018 — 18.5% of all municipal solid waste landfilled that year, per the EPA's most recent material-specific data.
Source: U.S. EPA — Plastics Material-Specific Data
12.7%
Sustainable toy market CAGR through 2032
The global sustainable toy market was valued at $28.5 billion in 2025 and is expected to grow at a 12.7% CAGR to reach $65.9 billion by 2032, reflecting growing demand for eco-conscious products.
Source: Maximize Market Research (2025)
Toycycle Synthesis

Based on approximately 3 billion toy units sold in the U.S. annually (Toy Association) and the finding that about 90% of toys on the global market are made primarily from plastic (Beyond Plastics), an estimated 2.7 billion plastic toy units enter U.S. circulation each year. With the OECD reporting that only 9% of plastic is effectively recycled globally and approximately 80% of plastic toys entering waste streams (Yale Environment Review), the scale of eventual accumulation from toys alone is substantial — underscoring why extending toy lifespans through reuse matters.

Calculation based on: The Toy Association + OECD Global Plastics Outlook (2022) + Yale Environment Review
Why toys are difficult to recycle: Most toys combine multiple plastic types — rigid, soft, multi-colored — often bonded with electronics or metal components. This mixed-material construction means virtually no standard municipal recycling program accepts them. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation calls reusable packaging a USD 10+ billion innovation opportunity — replacing just 20% of single-use plastic packaging with reusable alternatives is conservatively estimated to be worth at least $10 billion globally.
Sources: Yale Environment Review; Ellen MacArthur Foundation
See also: The Carbon Math of Used Toys — Toycycle's original analysis of how much CO₂ a used toy actually saves across its full lifecycle, including assumptions and methodology.
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Consumer Behavior & Spending

How families buy toys and what's changing

Licensed toys hit an all-time high of 37% of global toy sales in 2025 (Circana), toy purchases for adults 18+ grew 18% in the first half of 2025, and U.S. retailers expected $849.9 billion of merchandise — 15.8% of annual sales — to be returned in 2025 (NRF).

37%
Share of global toy sales from licensed toys, 2025
Licensed toy sales grew 15% in 2025 and reached 37% of the global toy market — the highest level on record. Pokémon was the number-one toy property globally, followed by Hot Wheels, Marvel, Barbie, and Star Wars.
Source: Circana — Global Toy Industry Full Year 2025 (Jan 2026)
+18%
Growth in U.S. toy sales to adults (18+), H1 2025
Adults continued to drive U.S. toy market growth, with sales for recipients aged 18 and older up 18% in the first half of 2025 — an expansion nearly evenly split between males and females.
Source: Circana — U.S. Toy Market H1 2025 (Aug 2025)
36%
Share of U.S. toy-store sales made in Q4 2025
The toy market is heavily seasonal: U.S. hobby, toy, and game stores made $8.63 billion of their $23.8 billion in 2025 sales (36%) in October–December, with November and December alone accounting for 27%.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — Monthly Retail Trade Survey, NAICS 45112 (2025)
15.8%
U.S. retail sales expected to be returned in 2025
U.S. retailers expected $849.9 billion of merchandise — 15.8% of annual sales — to be returned in 2025, rising to 17% during the holiday season. Returned toys feed a growing open-box and resale supply channel.
Source: National Retail Federation (Oct 2025)
The "kidult" effect: U.S. toy sales to recipients aged 18+ grew 18% in the first half of 2025, split nearly evenly between men and women. Globally, nearly 40% of European consumers reported buying toys for themselves or another adult in 2025, with adult and card games, trading cards, and collectible figures among the fastest-growing segments.
Sources: Circana — U.S. Toy Market H1 2025 (Aug 2025); Circana — Global Full Year 2025 (Jan 2026)
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Toy Lifespan & Usage Patterns

How long toys are actually used — and what happens next

The average toy "fad" lasts about 8 months from launch to markdown (Richard Gottlieb, Global Toy News), and symbolic, imaginative play peaks around age 4 before declining after age 7 — meaning many toys outlive the play window they were bought for.

~8 months
Average lifespan of a toy "fad"
According to toy industry analyst Richard Gottlieb, the average fad toy lasts approximately 8 months from launch to markdown — meaning much of what's purchased is discarded quickly.
Source: NGPF / Richard Gottlieb, Global Toy News
Age 4–7
Peak years for symbolic and imaginative play
According to Piagetian developmental theory, symbolic play peaks around age 4 and begins declining after age 7, when rule-based games and structured activities take over.
Source: PMC / NCBI — Children's Utilization of Toys (2022)
Toycycle Synthesis

With toy fads lasting an average of ~8 months (NGPF/Gottlieb) and approximately 3 billion units entering U.S. homes annually (Toy Association), a significant portion of the toy stock turns over each year. Toys that outlive a child's interest window enter a secondary lifecycle. The online resale market's projected 13% annual growth rate through 2029 (ThredUp) suggests that the infrastructure for capturing that value is expanding in step with the supply.

Calculation based on: NGPF / Gottlieb + The Toy Association + ThredUp (2025)
Open-ended toys last longer. Research consistently shows that toys with open-ended play value — building sets, wooden blocks, art supplies — hold children's interest across multiple developmental stages and age groups, in contrast to niche or character-driven toys.
Source: NCBI / PMC Children's Toy Research (2022)

Go deeper: FBA & returns resources

Methodology & Data Notes

All statistics on this page are drawn from publicly available research, including peer-reviewed studies, government and intergovernmental data (OECD, UNEP, U.S. EPA), industry trade body reports (The Toy Association, Circana), and recognized third-party analyses. Each statistic is cited inline with a direct link to its original source. We prioritize government (.gov), academic (.edu, PMC/NCBI), and recognized industry body sources wherever possible.

Market size figures for the toy industry vary across research firms due to differences in geographic scope, product category definitions, and data collection methodology. Where multiple credible figures exist, we have prioritized sources from The Toy Association and Circana, which are considered the most authoritative trackers of retail-level toy sales.

Environmental statistics are inherently difficult to verify with precision. Figures presented here are sourced directly from OECD, UNEP, U.S. EPA, and Yale University publications. They should be understood as best available estimates rather than exact counts.

"Toycycle Synthesis" callouts represent original calculations derived by combining two or more cited data points. The underlying sources are cited within each synthesis note.

This page is reviewed and updated at least annually, with interim re-verification passes. Every statistic was re-verified against its source in July 2026: figures with newer releases were updated (global market size, U.S. retail sales, industry jobs, resale projections, sustainable-toy market, returns), dead source links were replaced with live ones, and statistics that could no longer be verified against a primary or reputable source were removed rather than retained.

Next scheduled update: January 2027

All Sources

What changed — July 2026: refreshed market-size (full-year 2025: $123.0B global), U.S. retail sales, industry jobs, resale-growth (ThredUp 14th report), seasonality, sustainable-toy and returns figures; corrected two statistics to their verified periods; removed two statistics whose sources could no longer be verified; fixed all dead source links.

This page is maintained as a public reference resource and reviewed at least annually, with interim updates as new data is released. If you reference these statistics, please cite the original sources linked above. For questions or to report an outdated figure, contact partnerships@toycycle.co.

 

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