Fifty-one percent of comiXology users are outside the United States, the New York City-based company revealed overnight. The announcement was accompanied by a global heat map (below) illustrating the popularity of the digital comics platform by country.

Following last week's news that comiXology was the top-grossing non-games iPad app last year in the United States, the company added that it's the top-grossing iPad book app in France, Belgium, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom. It's also currently the No. 1 iOS book app in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, India, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, The Philippines and other countries.

ComiXology expanded its international reach in 2013 with the opening of a Paris-based European division, followed by distribution agreements with French publishers Delcourt, Glénat and a dozen others, as well as with Viz Media Europe.

The company, which offers more than 45,000 comics and graphic novels from more than 75 publishers, has surpassed 200 million downloads -- and seen its female audience grow from 5 percent to 20 percent -- since the digital-comics platform launched in 2007.