Stationery Industry Trends 2026: Market Size in Charts

A lineup of everyday stationery: ballpoint pen, highlighter, pencil, eraser, notebook and planner — Everyday stationery, drawn in proportion. The charts below carry the data. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

Key takeaways

Global Market Insights puts the 2025 stationery market at US$117.2 billion; Ken Research puts it at US$154.6 billion, about 32% higher. Neither is an official statistic.
Both firms forecast growth: Global Market Insights 4.2% a year to US$178.7 billion in 2035, Ken Research 4.87% a year to US$205.7 billion in 2031.
Global Market Insights splits 2025 sales into writing instruments (US$37.4 billion, 32%), paper and notebooks (US$31.6 billion, 27%) and art and creative supplies (US$18.7 billion, 16%, the fastest-growing segment at 5.5% a year).
Asia Pacific is the largest region at 43.4% of 2025 sales in Global Market Insights' split, ahead of North America (24.2%) and Europe (19.2%).
Reported results diverge: BIC's stationery sales fell 6.3% at constant currency in 2025 and Faber-Castell's fell 2.7% in 2024/25, while KOKUYO grew 6.2% and Mitsubishi Pencil 1.1%. Japan's writing-instrument sales value fell 7.1%.

How big is the global stationery market?

Nobody publishes an official figure, and the two full estimates we could read differ by about a third. Global Market Insights puts 2025 sales at US$117.2 billion. Ken Research puts them at US$154.6 billion for the same year.

A third firm, ResearchAndMarkets, said in a November 2023 headline that the market would pass US$148 billion by 2028. Ken Research’s series already reaches US$148.1 billion in 2024, so even the vendors’ timelines do not line up.

Line chart of global stationery market estimates from 2020 to 2035: Ken Research rises from US$124.2 billion to US$205.7 billion in 2031, Global Market Insights from US$117.2 billion in 2025 to US$178.7 billion in 2035 — Three research firms' estimates of the global stationery market. Every number is in the chart data file linked at the end of this story. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

Source	Year	Market size	Forecast
Global Market Insights (report GMI8238, August 2026)	2025	US$117.2 billion	US$178.7 billion in 2035, 4.2% a year
Ken Research (2026-2031 report)	2025	US$154.6 billion	US$205.7 billion in 2031, 4.87% a year
ResearchAndMarkets (headline, Nov 14, 2023)	2028 forecast	not stated	“more than US$148 billion” by 2028

We show all three because none can be checked. The free summaries describe their scope in general terms and keep the method behind a paywall, so read each number as one firm’s view, not a measurement.

Where in the world is stationery sold?

Asia Pacific is the largest region in both estimates, but Ken Research puts it US$8.3 billion higher than Global Market Insights does. The firms agree on the order of the regions and on little else.

The relative gap is widest in the Middle East and Africa, where Ken Research’s US$12.6 billion is more than double Global Market Insights’ US$5.8 billion. Both firms expect Asia Pacific and the Middle East and Africa to grow fastest, and North America and Europe slowest, at 3.5 to 3.8% a year.

Dumbbell chart of 2025 stationery sales by region from two research firms: Asia Pacific US$50.7 billion or US$59.0 billion, North America 28.3 or 34.5, Europe 22.5 or 32.8, Latin America 9.7 or 15.7, Middle East and Africa 5.8 or 12.6 — Each region's 2025 sales in the two estimates, with each firm's forecast growth a year. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

Which products make up the market?

Writing instruments are the largest product group and art supplies the fastest-growing, in Global Market Insights’ split of its US$117.2 billion. Writing instruments make up US$37.4 billion (32%), and paper products and notebooks US$31.6 billion (27%).

Art and creative supplies, at US$18.7 billion (16%), are forecast to grow 5.5% a year. Filing and organization grows slowest, at 3.2%, which the firm ties to paperless offices.

Treemap of the 2025 stationery market by product: writing instruments US$37.4 billion, paper and notebooks 31.6, art and creative supplies 18.7, filing and organization 10.5, office and desk tools 9.4, bags 5.9, other 3.5 — The 2025 market by product, sized by sales, with forecast growth a year to 2035. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

Where is the growth?

However Global Market Insights slices the market, its smaller segments are forecast to grow faster. Items at US$50 and over are 13% of sales but grow 6.5% a year, against 3.7% for the 65% of sales under US$20.

Online sales (32%) grow 6.7% a year against 3.0% in stores. Eco-certified materials are only 5% of sales but have the highest forecast growth of any segment, 11.9% a year.

Paired chart of share of 2025 sales and forecast growth by segment: items over US$50 13% of sales and 6.5% growth, online 32% and 6.7%, eco-certified materials 5% and 11.9%, arts and creative use 9% and 5.6% — Share of 2025 sales and forecast growth a year, by price, channel, material and use. One firm's forecasts. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

How fast are online sales growing?

Ken Research estimates the online share of stationery sales rose from 15% in 2020 to 26% in 2025 and expects 38% by 2031. Global Market Insights already puts 2025 at 32%, so the firms disagree on where online stands today, not on the direction.

Area chart of the online share of global stationery sales per Ken Research, from 15% in 2020 to 26% in 2025 and a forecast 38% in 2031, with Global Market Insights' 2025 estimate of 32% marked — Share of global stationery sales made online, two estimates. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

Is the growth from selling more, or from higher prices?

In Ken Research’s model, most of each year’s growth is volume: 2.5 to 3.1 points of 4.2 to 4.9% a year from 2021 to 2025. Price and product mix adds the rest, 1.6 to 1.9 points a year, and Ken Research expects that share to shrink by 2030.

Stacked column chart of the stationery market's yearly value growth, split into volume and price — Each year's growth in market value, split into volume growth and price and mix. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

What pushes demand up, and what holds it back?

Global Market Insights rates school enrollment as the biggest push on growth and paperless offices as the biggest drag. It credits 1.4 billion enrolled students worldwide in 2024, citing UNESCO, with adding 0.9 points a year to its forecast. Paperless offices take away 0.6 points, mostly in North America and Western Europe.

Diverging bar chart of drivers and restraints of stationery growth per Global Market Insights: school enrollment +0.9 points, urbanization +0.7, e-commerce +0.4, premium and eco demand +0.4, paperless offices −0.6, e-learning −0.4, saturated markets −0.3, economic headwinds −0.3 — Estimated effect of each driver and restraint on the forecast growth rate. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

The makers’ own explanations are more concrete. BIC said higher raw-material and electricity costs, tariffs and currency swings cut its gross margin from 50.2% to 48.8% in 2025. Faber-Castell cited US tariff policy and consumer restraint.

Ken Research adds a regulatory cost: the EU Deforestation Regulation applies to large and medium operators from December 30, 2026, which it expects to favor suppliers with traceable wood and paper.

How are the big makers doing?

KOKUYO and Mitsubishi Pencil reported higher sales for 2025, while BIC and Faber-Castell reported lower sales. BIC and Faber-Castell blamed US conditions, costs or currencies; we did not read KOKUYO’s or Mitsubishi Pencil’s own explanations.

Bar chart of four makers' latest annual sales in US dollars: BIC US$2.34 billion (stationery 0.82), KOKUYO 2.28, Faber-Castell 0.67, Mitsubishi Pencil 0.57, with changes of −4.8%, +6.2%, −2.7% and +1.1% — Latest annual group sales, converted at the site's rates, and the change each company reported. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

Company	Latest result	Change
BIC stationery (Human Expression)	2025: 736 million euros (about US$824 million)	-6.3% at constant currency
BIC group	2025: 2,090 million euros (about US$2.34 billion)	-4.8% reported
Faber-Castell group	Fiscal 2024/25: 601.8 million euros (about US$674 million)	-2.7% reported, +0.3% constant currency
KOKUYO group	2025: 359.9 billion yen (about US$2.28 billion)	+6.2%
Mitsubishi Pencil group	2025: 89.8 billion yen (about US$568 million)	+1.1%

BIC blamed a declining ball pen market in the US and a tough market in Mexico and Brazil, and its adjusted operating margin fell from 15.6% to 13.6%. KOKUYO’s operating profit rose 16.5% and it forecasts 390.0 billion yen of sales for 2026. Mitsubishi Pencil’s operating profit fell 20.5%, and it forecasts 94.0 billion yen for 2026.

Group totals are not stationery alone. Faber-Castell’s group includes a cosmetics business, BIC also sells lighters and shavers, and we did not read KOKUYO’s segment split.

BIC’s factsheet shows how much: stationery is 35% of its sales, as large as lighters. BIC calls itself the world’s second-largest writing-instrument maker with about 8% share, citing Euromonitor 2024, while Global Market Insights’ top five (Deli Group, M&G Stationery, ACCO Brands, KOKUYO and Pilot) hold only 8.8% between them.

Two 100% bars of BIC's 2025 net sales: by division, stationery 35%, lighters 35%, shavers 29%; by region, North America 36%, Europe 35%, Latin America 17%, Middle East and Africa 8%, Asia and Oceania 4% — BIC's 2025 net sales by division and by region. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

Faber-Castell’s sales have fallen two years running since the 649.2 million euros (about US$727 million) of fiscal 2022/23, which the company called the second-best year in its history.

Column chart of Faber-Castell Group sales by fiscal year: 452.0 million euros in 2020/21, 522.6 in 2021/22, 649.2 in 2022/23, 618.4 in 2023/24 and 601.8 in 2024/25 — Faber-Castell Group sales by fiscal year, with the reported change. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

What is happening to Japan’s pen industry?

Japan’s 2025 writing-instrument sales and exports both fell, according to JWIMA’s tables from Japanese government statistics. Sales fell 7.1% to 157.4 billion yen (about US$996 million), and exports fell 5.9% to 120.4 billion yen (about US$762 million). Imports were 24.3 billion yen (about US$154 million).

Water-based ballpoints (gel and rollerball) fell 9.2% and marking pens 12.7%, while mechanical pencils were the only line to grow. Our guide to how Japan became a stationery power covers the makers behind these figures.

Bar chart of Japan's 2025 writing-instrument sales by product: gel and rollerball ballpoints 53.2 billion yen (−9.2%), marking pens 43.7 (−12.7%), oil-based ballpoints 21.5 (−1.1%), mechanical pencils 20.0 (+0.8%), total 157.4 (−7.1%) — Sales by Japan's makers in 2025, by product, with the change on 2024. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

Abroad, marking-pen exports fell by more than a fifth. Fountain and technical pen exports rose 10.5% in value even though the number of pens shipped fell 24.8%, so each pen sold for more.

Bar chart of Japan's 2025 writing-instrument exports by product: gel and rollerball ballpoints 51.7 billion yen (−2.8%), marking pens 21.5 (−22.2%), ballpoint refills 10.4 (+7.8%), fountain and technical pens 4.5 (+10.5%), total 120.4 (−5.9%) — Japan's 2025 exports by product, with the change on 2024. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

The United States is the largest destination and the most volatile: down 13.5% in 2025 after a 14.0% rise in 2024. China held steady at about 25 billion yen a year. For the brands themselves, see our Japanese stationery guide.

Small multiples of Japan's writing-instrument exports by destination, 2022 to 2025: United States 28.6 billion yen in 2025 (−13.5%), China 24.7 (+3.3%), France 14.6 (−8.5%), South Korea 7.7, Hong Kong 2.4, Mexico 2.0, all others 40.5, total 120.4 — Japan's exports by destination, 2022 to 2025, on one scale. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

Where do the sources disagree, and what could we not verify?

The biggest disagreements are market size, regional sizes and online share, and we could not verify any of them independently. We list them so no number here reads as firmer than it is.

Market size: US$117.2 billion (Global Market Insights) against US$154.6 billion (Ken Research) for 2025. Both free summaries hide their method.
Regions: Ken Research is higher in every region, by up to 2.2 times in the Middle East and Africa.
Online share: 32% of 2025 sales (Global Market Insights) against 26% (Ken Research).
Not used: a ResearchAndMarkets figure beyond its headline, which is all that loaded; and any data for Pilot, Pentel, Hallmark or Staples, because we did not find comparable published results for them.
Not split out: KOKUYO’s and Mitsubishi Pencil’s stationery-only sales. We used group totals, which include other businesses.
Mixed bases: company changes mix reported and constant-currency figures and different fiscal years, so compare them with their labels.

Can I use the charts and the data?

Yes. Every number in the 13 charts is in one file, as CSV or JSON, with its source and link on each row. Our compilation and the charts are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a credit and a link; each figure belongs to the publisher named in its row.

We will update this story when 2026 results arrive.

Frequently asked questions

What is the size of the stationery industry worldwide?

There is no official figure. Global Market Insights estimates US$117.2 billion for 2025 and Ken Research US$154.6 billion, so a defensible range is about US$117 to 155 billion, always attributed to the firm that published it.

Is the stationery industry growing?

Market-research firms say yes, at about 4 to 5% a year, but company results for 2025 were split. KOKUYO and Mitsubishi Pencil reported higher sales, while BIC's stationery business, Faber-Castell and Japan's writing-instrument industry reported lower sales.

Which region buys the most stationery?

Asia Pacific, with US$50.7 billion or 43.4% of 2025 sales in Global Market Insights' estimate. North America follows with US$28.3 billion (24.2%) and Europe with US$22.5 billion (19.2%).

Who are the biggest stationery companies?

Global Market Insights ranks Deli Group, M&G Stationery, ACCO Brands, KOKUYO and Pilot as the top five, with 8.8% of the market between them. BIC says it is the world's second-largest writing-instrument maker with about 8% share, citing Euromonitor 2024.

Why do stationery market reports disagree so much?

Each firm defines the market differently (which products, which countries, retail or wholesale value) and does not publish its full method. The free summaries we read give no breakdown that reconciles US$117.2 billion with US$154.6 billion.

Is digital note-taking killing paper stationery?

Not in the figures we found. Global Market Insights counts digital substitution as a drag of about one percentage point on yearly growth in developed markets, and also names journaling and creative hobbies as a counter-trend that lifts art supplies.

Are pen sales falling in Japan?

In 2025, yes by value: JWIMA's tables from Japanese government data show sales of writing instruments down 7.1% to 157.4 billion yen (about US$996 million) and exports down 5.9% to 120.4 billion yen (about US$762 million). Ballpoint pen volumes were nearly flat, down 0.4%.

How much stationery is sold online?

Estimates differ: Global Market Insights says 32% of 2025 sales were online, while Ken Research estimates 26% and expects 38% by 2031. Both expect online to keep gaining share.

Sources (15)

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