Chart: Which Countries Eat the Most Instant Noodles?
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The world collectively consumed 120 billion instant noodle servings in 2023. But which countries ate the most?
We visualize the country-level breakdown with estimated figures from the World Instant Noodles Association (WINA).
Ranked: Countries by their Instant Noodle Consumption
Unsurprisingly, the now second-most populous country in the world, China, (along with Hong Kong SAR) ate about 42 billion instant noodle servings in 2023. This works out to about 30 noodle helpings per person in the year.
| Rank | Country | Region | Instant Noodle Servings Consumed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇨🇳 China and 🇭🇰 Hong Kong |
Asia | 42.2B |
| 2 | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | Asia | 14.5B |
| 3 | 🇮🇳 India | Asia | 8.7B |
| 4 | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | Asia | 8.1B |
| 5 | 🇯🇵 Japan | Asia | 5.8B |
| 6 | 🇺🇸 U.S. | North America | 5.1B |
| 7 | 🇵🇭 Philippines | Asia | 4.4B |
| 8 | 🇰🇷 South Korea | Asia | 4.0B |
| 9 | 🇹🇭 Thailand | Asia | 4.0B |
| 10 | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | Africa | 3.0B |
| 11 | 🇧🇷 Brazil | South America | 2.6B |
| 12 | 🇷🇺 Russia | Europe/Asia | 2.2B |
| N/A | 🌍 Rest of World | Other | 15.6B |
Staying in Asia, Indonesia (14.5 billion servings), India (8.7 billion), Vietnam (8.1 billion) and Japan (5.8 billion) make up the top five.
The U.S. is the top ranked country by instant noodle consumption (5.1 billion servings) from outside Asia. There are also only two non-Asian countries in the top 10, with the other being Nigeria (3 billion portions).
Russia is the top ranked European country for instant noodle consumption, 12th overall with 2.2 billion servings.
Noodle Preferences Around the World
There’s a large variety in instant noodle brands worldwide, catering to different populations’ specific cultural and dietary habits.
For example, given Indonesia’s largely Muslim population, most noodle products are halal.
On the other hand, vegetable and tomato-based soups are eaten the most in India due to its large vegetarian population.
Meanwhile, Vietnam prefers a shrimp-flavored broth along with pho rice noodles, which are popular in the country.
To end with a fun fact, instant noodles sold in the U.S. are generally cut shorter due to most people eating them with a spoon and/or fork.
