[October 9, 2025] — Once the world leader in instant noodle consumption, South Korea has ceded its top spot to Vietnam, which continues to dominate global per capita rankings since 2021.
According to the latest data, each Vietnamese citizen consumed an average of 81 packets of instant noodles in 2024, totaling 8.14 billion packets nationwide. Despite this impressive figure, it represents a slight decline from 88 packets per person in 2021.
Following Vietnam and South Korea, the next countries with the highest per capita instant noodle consumption are Thailand (57 packs), Nepal (54 packs), Indonesia (52 packs), Japan (47 packs), Malaysia (47 packs), Taiwan (40 packs), and the Philippines (39 packs) — placing the Philippines 9th in the world. Meanwhile, China (including Hong Kong) rounds out the top ten with 31 packs per person.
Globally, instant noodle consumption reached a record 123.07 billion packs in 2024, a 2.4% increase compared to the previous year. Analysts attribute this growth to the affordability and convenience of instant noodles amid rising global inflation.
In terms of total consumption, China and Hong Kong remain the world’s largest markets with 43.8 billion packs sold, which is 10.7 times more than South Korea’s 4.1 billion packs. Other major consumers include Indonesia (14.37 billion packs), India (8.32 billion packs), Vietnam (8.14 billion packs), Japan (5.9 billion packs), the United States (5.15 billion packs), the Philippines (4.49 billion packs), South Korea (4.1 billion packs), Thailand (4.08 billion packs), and Nigeria (3 billion packs).
Industry experts say that the sustained popularity of instant noodles highlights their status as an affordable, quick, and comforting food choice across the globe.