The Building Blocks of Fun: Surprising LEGO Facts You Never Knew!

Lego is a Danish company that has been manufacturing toy bricks since 1932. Formerly known as Automatic Binding Bricks, the company has grown into one of the largest toy manufacturers in the world, with a presence in over 140 countries. The Lego Group is known for its innovative designs and commitment to sustainability. In this blog post, we will take a closer look at the history of Lego and what they do.

Key Lego Facts and Statistics

• The Lego Group earned almost 65 billion Danish Krone (US$ 9.7 billion) in revenue in 2022 [1].
• The Lego Group’s gross margin averaged at about 68.8% for the year 2022 [1],[2].
• More than 40 billion Lego bricks or pieces are scattered all around the world[10],[11].
• Retailers sell 7 Lego figures or set every second [10],[11].
• Lego factories produce more than 3.1 million Lego bricks every day [12].
• Chrome Black is the rarest Lego brick in the world. This can only be found in a single set of Lego Star Wars [14].
• Rare Lego sets are worth more than a thousand dollars. As of 2020, the most expensive Lego set is The Space Command Centre, valued at more than $10,000.
• Since 1949, Lego factories produced more than 600 billion Lego bricks and parts [16].
• The largest Lego model ever built was a life-size X-Wing Starfighter in 2013. This Starfighter is made up of more than 86 Lego sets from various Star Wars minifigures and comprised more than 5 million bricks [16].
• The Lego Movie earned $469 million worldwide in 2014 [16]. Even as a movie, the largest toy company doesn’t disappoint when it comes to giving people a good time and a good laugh.

History of Lego

Lego was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Christiansen, a carpenter who began making wooden toys in his workshop in Denmark. The name Lego comes from the Danish words “leg godt,” which means “play well.” In 1934, the company began producing plastic toys, including the first version of the Lego brick.

The modern Lego brick was patented in 1958, and since then, the company has continued to innovate and expand its product line. Lego sets have become increasingly complex and detailed, with themes ranging from classic Lego City sets to licensed themes such as Star Wars, Marvel, and Harry Potter.

What Lego Does

Lego produces a wide range of products, including building sets, video games, and movies. The company’s primary product is its iconic building bricks, which can be used to create virtually any structure or design.

Lego sets are designed to encourage creativity and problem-solving skills in children and adults alike. Building with Lego bricks requires imagination, planning, and spatial reasoning, making it a valuable tool for learning and development.

In addition to its core products, Lego has also been a pioneer in sustainability. The company has set ambitious goals to reduce its carbon footprint and waste, and has made significant investments in renewable energy and sustainable materials. Lego bricks are made from a durable plastic called ABS, which can be recycled and reused in other products.

Lego Revenue Statistics

The Lego company has done well over the last decade or so. Given the number of Lego minifigures and models proliferating the different toy stores all over the world, just how much money is Lego making?

• The Lego Group generated almost 65 billion Danish Krone (US$ 9.7 billion) in revenue in 2022, which was an increase from the previous year’s 55 billion Danish Krone (US$8.5 billion) [1].
• In line with the revenue generated for 2022, the Lego Group’s gross margin hovered at about 68.8% [1],[2].
• Their total expenses for the year 2022 amounted to 46.7 billion Danish Krone (US$6.7 billion), bringing their operating profit close to 18 billion Danish Krone (US$2.6 billion) [5],[7].
• As of 2023, Lego is ranked as the most valuable toy brand in the world, valued at US$7.4 billion. Following in second place is Bandai Namco valued at US$1.6 billion [8].
• In 2021, Lego had the highest annual revenue amongst select toy companies in the world. For that year, their recorded revenue hovered at about US$8.5 billion. Bandai Namco followed in second place with US$7.3 billion for the same year [9].

More Interesting Lego Facts and Statistics

Judging from their profits from last year and the years before, it’s clear that Lego sells a lot of figures around the world. For this section, we’ll cover the most interesting Lego statistics for Lego minifigures, number of Lego bricks sold, and more…

• There are more than 40 billion Lego bricks or pieces around the world. And retailers sell 7 Lego figures or set every second, so given the math, this number checks out [10],[11].
• If you divide the number of Lego bricks by the world population, each person around the world would have more than 80 Lego Bricks. If you stack these Lego bricks together, you’d have enough Lego bricks to build a tower that could reach the moon [10],[11].
• The Lego Group produces more than 3.1 million Lego bricks every day [12].
• We know that there are more than 4 billion Lego Bricks in existence, and growing. But did you know that you can combine a set of 6×24 Legos in more than 915 million ways [13]?
• The rarest Lego brick is the Chrome Black. Lego produces more than 50 different colors for their bricks, but the rarest one can only be found in a single set of Lego Star Wars [14].
• Some of the rare Lego sets are valued at more than a thousand dollars. As of 2020, the most expensive Lego set is The Space Command Centre, valued at more than $10,000.
• Since 1949, Lego factories produced more than 600 billion Lego bricks and parts [16].

It’s surprising to know that Lego sells enough Lego bricks to build a tower that could reach the moon. At the same time, these fun Lego facts above are a testament to just how big the Lego group is.

Lego And Pop Culture

There’s also no denying that the Lego group likes to work with various movie and TV franchises. From F.R.I.E.N.D.S. to Harry Potter to Star Wars, there’s probably Lego minifigures on your favorite shows or movies.

Having said that, the impact that pop culture has on Lego is nothing short of extraordinary. Here are some interesting facts and statistics that show how big Lego is in terms of pop culture influence.

• A life-size X-Wing Starfighter was the largest Lego model ever built in 2013. This Starfighter took more than 86 Lego sets from various Star Wars minifigures and comprised more than 5 million bricks [16].
• The Lego Movie earned $469 million worldwide in 2014 [16]. Even as a movie, the largest toy company doesn’t disappoint when it comes to giving people a good time and a good laugh.
• The world’s tallest Lego tower measures more than 114 ft tall and is comprised of more than 550,000 Lego bricks [13].
• The largest Star Wars Lego set is the Millenium Falcon and costs more than $4,500. The Lego Taj Majal is the second-largest set right after the Millenium Falcon [17].

The Wrap Up

That wraps up our article for the most interesting Lego facts and statistics that prove just how successful this toy company is. From knowing how many Lego sets are sold to the number of Lego bricks around the world, the numbers will continue to surprise us later down the line.

Reference

[1] https://www.statista.com/statistics/282870/lego-group-revenue/

[2] https://www.statista.com/statistics/1103041/lego-gross-margin-worldwide/

[3] https://www.statista.com/statistics/1380868/lego-group-expenses/

[4] https://www.statista.com/statistics/1103043/lego-revenue-growth-worldwide/

[5] https://www.statista.com/statistics/1103044/lego-gross-profit-worldwide/

[6] https://www.statista.com/statistics/292286/lego-group-operating-profit/

[7] https://www.statista.com/statistics/292305/lego-group-net-profit/

[8] https://www.statista.com/statistics/399131/value-of-the-leading-global-toy-brands/

[9] https://www.statista.com/statistics/241241/revenue-of-major-toy-companies-worldwide/

[10] https://www.fi.edu/sites/default/files/PressKit_ArtOfTheBrick_Quirky_LEGO_Facts.pdf

[11] https://www.natgeokids.com/nz/kids-club/entertainment/general-entertainment/ten-top-lego-facts/

[12] https://www.greenmatters.com/p/lego-recycled-plastic-bricks

[13] https://mamainthenow.com/fun-lego-facts/

[14] https://facts.net/lego-facts/

[15] https://tinybeans.com/lego-most-valuable-sets/

[16] https://blog.gitnux.com/lego-statistics/

[17] https://wealthygorilla.com/most-expensive-lego-sets/