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KOMACON Report: Number of Webtoon Titles Dropped by Nearly 7% in 2024
posted on by Wonhee Cho
According to the 2024 Comics and Webtoon Distribution Statistics Report published by the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency (KOMACON) on March 12, the total number of webtoon titles registered last year was 18,792, marking a 6.7% decline from the previous year's 20,141.
By platform, Kakao Page, a flagship platform of Kakao Entertainment, saw a 16.1% drop in distributed webtoon titles from 1,401 in 2023 to 1,176 in 2024. Kakao Webtoon experienced an even steeper decline of 22%, from 486 to 379 titles.
In contrast, Naver Webtoon saw an increase in distributed works from 353 to 424, reflecting a 20.1% growth. Naver Series also experienced an uptick, with titles increasing from 2,304 to 2,775, a 20.4% rise.
The decline in new webtoon releases was particularly significant. The total number of new webtoon titles registered across all platforms fell from 17,245 in 2023 to 14,723 in 2024, a 14.6% decrease.
The data is based on an analysis of serialization information across 34 domestic webtoon platforms.
The webtoon market boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2023, but as external activities resumed with the end of the pandemic, the industry has been in decline.
Adding to the downturn, mid-sized platform Manhwakyung, operated by Woowa Brothers, shut down last year, further dampening industry sentiment.
The Korea Manhwa Contents Agency stated, “The webtoon industry as a whole has shrunk in 2024, and this downward trend is expected to continue into the first half of 2025.”
A significant portion of registered webtoons last year — 57.7% — were categorized as "18+ content."
Among platforms, Bomtoon had the highest percentage of 18+ webtoons at 83.4%, followed by Jjang Manhwa (82.0%), BookCube (71.9%), and Lezhin Comics (71.3%).
Among major platforms, Naver Series had the highest proportion of 18+ webtoons at 48.6%, while Kakao Page recorded 17.0%. Kakao Webtoon and Naver Webtoon had comparatively lower percentages at 6.6% and 5.2%, respectively.
