How much does a child spend per year on toys? Analyze global and Chinese toy consumption trends
In recent years, with the improvement of family economic level and changes in parenting concepts, children's toy consumption has become an important growth point in the global market. This article will combine hot topics and structured data in the past 10 days to analyze the current status and trends of children's per capita annual toy consumption.
1. Overview of global children’s toy consumption

According to market research data, the global toy market continues to expand and is expected to reach US$120 billion in 2023. The following is the annual per capita toy consumption data of children in major countries and regions:
| Country/Region | Per capita annual consumption (USD) | year-on-year growth rate |
|---|---|---|
| USA | 320 | 4.5% |
| European Union | 280 | 3.8% |
| China | 180 | 8.2% |
| Japan | 250 | 2.1% |
2. Characteristics of children’s toy consumption in China
China's toy market is growing at a significant rate. Children's per capita toy consumption will reach US$180 (approximately RMB 1,300) in 2023, but there are obvious differences between urban and rural areas:
| area | Per capita annual consumption (RMB) | consumption preference |
|---|---|---|
| first tier cities | 2,200 | Puzzle, imported brands |
| Second and third tier cities | 1,500 | Traditional toys, domestic brands |
| rural areas | 800 | Basic toys, low-price products |
3. Analysis of popular toy categories
E-commerce platform data in the past 10 days shows that the search volume of the following toy categories has grown fastest:
| Category | Proportion | Popular representatives |
|---|---|---|
| STEM educational toys | 35% | Programming robots, scientific experiment sets |
| IP licensed toys | 28% | Disney series, Ultraman |
| outdoor sports toys | 20% | Balance bikes, camping toys |
4. Key factors affecting toy consumption
1.family income level: Research shows that children’s toy consumption by families with a monthly income of more than 20,000 yuan is three times that of low-income families.
2.Changes in parenting concepts: 72% of parents believe that toys are "very important" to early childhood education, driving the growth of educational toys.
3.social media influence: The number of views of content related to "Internet Celebrity Toys" on the short video platform increased by 120 million times in 10 days, directly driving the sales of related products.
5. Forecast of future trends
1.Consumption upgrade continues: It is expected that the per capita toy consumption of Chinese children will exceed 2,000 yuan in 2025, approaching the level of developed countries.
2.Accelerating technological integration: The market share of high-tech products such as AR/VR toys and AI interactive toys will increase from the current 15% to 30%.
3.The rise of second-hand toy market: Increased awareness of environmental protection has promoted the growth of second-hand toy trading platforms, and the transaction size is expected to reach 5 billion yuan in 2023.
To sum up, children’s toy consumption has become an important indicator reflecting family investment in child care. With the upgrading of consumption and the diversification of educational needs, the toy market will continue to show the development trend of "high quality + education + technology".
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