Global instant noodle demand 2011-2021

The global demand for instant noodles has steadily increased in recent years. According to the report, the global demand for instant noodles amounted to approximately 118 billion servings in 2021. By far, the highest demand for instant noodles comes from China/ Hong Kong. The demand for instant noodles in China/ Hong Kong amounted to almost 44 billion servings. In second place was Indonesia with approximately 13 billion servings. In the United States, the were around five billion servings. The United Kingdom (UK) was not among the top ten countries. The demand for instant noodles in the UK has grown from around 320 in 2017 to 430 million servings per year.

Instant noodles in Asia

Asia and Oceania makes up nearly 83 percent of global demand for instant noodle. China's share alone is over 37 percent. Both Malaysia and Indonesia have seen increases in their demand for instant noodles in the past years, while the demand in South Korea has declined in the past year. In May 2020, the year-on-year growth rate of instant noodle exports from South Korea was at approximately 40 percent. The main destination for South Korean exports of instant noodles is China, with an import value of more than 68 million U.S. dollars. In second and third place were the United States and Japan, with import values of 37 and 33 million U.S. dollars, respectively. Retail sales of instant noodles in South Korea amount to over 2.15 trillion South Korean won.

Companies in the instant noodle market

The South Korean company Nongshim is one of the main players in the instant noodle market. Nongshim's annual sales revenue from noodles amounts to approximately 2.09 trillion South Korean won, up from 1.32 trillion won in 2013. Another big player in the instant noodle market is the South Korean grocery company Samyang. Samyang Food's sales revenue amounts to about 642 billion South Korean won. The Japanese company Nissin Foods is also among the leading companies for instant noodles. Nissin Foods' revenue comes to over 506 billion Japanese yen.