Instant Noodles Market Trends

Global Instant Noodles Market Overview

The Instant Noodles Market Size was valued at USD 76.733 Billion in 2023. instant noodles industry is projected to grow from USD 78.033 Billion in 2024 to USD 130.084 Billion by 2032, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.60% during the forecast period (2024 - 2032). The growing working population has increased the demand for convenience food products such as instant noodles, which is quite easy to cook within a short period, which is a vital factor boosting its market growth.

Source: Secondary Research, Primary Research, MRFR Database, and Analyst Review

Instant Noodles Market Trends

• Hectic Lifestyle and Increasing Demand for RTE (ready-to-eat) Products Skyrocketing the Market

People's busy schedules at work are driving up demand for ready-to-eat foods that are easy to prepare and enjoy. Instant noodles have gained a lot of popularity, especially among the working class, teenagers, residents of hostels, bachelors, and those who share a room, among other groups. Because they provide a number of advantages, such as instant appetizers, a longer shelf life, and widespread availability in the worldwide market, easy meals have grown immensely popular among customers. Instant Noodles foods are used to shorten the time of meal preparation at home. Some Instant Noodles can be eaten immediately or after adding some water, heating, or thawing.

The majority of Instant Noodles take hardly more than 5 minutes to prepare. Before consumption, they are frequently prepared or packaged so that they may be swiftly and conveniently utilized whenever needed by thawing or heating the meal. It is a fact that Instant Noodles are designed to be inexpensive, delicious, and non-perishable. Instant noodles have grown in popularity since they may be offered as a fast snack or supper. According to the World Instant Noodles Association (WINA), the demand for Instant Noodles is increasing year or year as per the below data.

Moreover, noodles have become one of the staple foods and are being consumed across the globe. Instant noodles have various properties such as convenience, flavor, taste, nutrition, long shelf life, reasonable price, and safety making them popular among consumers. In addition, convenience food products have become more popular primarily among the working population, children, and teenagers. Convenience food products take very less time hardly 5 minutes in preparation and are ready to cook at home. Some of the convenient food products can be consumed directly or after heating, thawing, and by simply adding some water. They are generally packaged or prepared before consumption and can be used easily and quickly at any place or time. Instant noodles have become extremely well known because they can be served as a fast meal or snack. Moreover, it can also offer a few phenomenal advantages, including, less time in the kitchen or arranging dinners, and less time in preparation. These are the factors associated with instant noodles driving the growth of the instant noodles market revenue.

Segment Insights

Instant Noodles Product Type Insights

The instant noodles market segmentation, based on product type, includes cups/bowls, and packets. The packet noodles segment held the majority share in 2021 contributing to around ~60-65% of the instant noodles industry revenue.

Instant noodles in packet form are specially made available for relatively higher quantities and are available in more SKUs like the single pack, double pack, triple pack, etc. The packet instant noodles are used when there’s a need for high quantities in Hotels, Restaurants, households, and in-home cooking.

September 2022: Nissin Foods develops brand-new "Super Combination Series" Cup Noodles that combine two diverse flavors to produce an entirely new Cup Noodle

November 2020: Sunfeast Yippee- a brand of ITC launched a new category of instant noodles “Quik Mealz”.

Instant Noodles By Packet Size Insights

The instant noodles market segmentation, based on packet size, includes single-pack, four-pack, six-pack, and others. The single-pack segment led the market in 2021 and is estimated to be the most lucrative segment during the forecast period, 2022-2030. Singe Pack instant noodles are those packets with one noodle cake accompanied by a single seasoning packet, this segment of instant noodles cake is highly popular among teenagers and hostellers’ solution for a quick meal, that in turn pushes the growth.

Instant Noodles By Distribution Channel Insights

The instant noodles market data has been bifurcated by distribution channels into store-based, and non-store based. The store-based segment dominated the market in 2021 and is likely to be the key segment during the forecast period, 2022-2030. A store-Based distribution channel is defined as brick-and-mortar retail stores like supermarkets & hypermarkets, Convenience stores, and others. The increasing interest in consuming different flavors and different brands contributes to increasing footfall in the segment which provides a wide assortment of noodles packets, giving an impetus to sales.

February 2022: The new product from Indo Food features the distinctive flavors of West Sumatra, this variation mixes crispy round noodles, a mix of spices, and hot Ayame Pop sauce. This launch has further increased the prospects for the instant noodles industry.

July 2021: Campbell Soup Company introduced Chunky Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup, With this release of the new Chunky Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup, Campbell's adds spicy heat to their best-selling Chunky Classic Chicken Noodle Soup.

Figure 1: Instant Noodles Market, by Distribution Channel, 2021 & 2030 (USD Million)Source: Secondary Research, Primary Research, MRFR Database, and Analyst Review

Additionally, in comparison to store-based distribution channels, the growing awareness among consumers regarding the benefits associated with online channel purchasing coupled with the hectic schedule of the working population is expected to increase the overall sales of instant noodles. For example, customers get access to shopping from anywhere with ease and convenience at the click of a button. These are the features anticipated to uplift the segmental growth during the forecast years.

Instant Noodles Regional Insights

By Region, the study segments the market into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World. Asia Pacific's instant noodles market accounted for USD 58,037.21 million in 2021 and is anticipated to grow with a CAGR of 5.36% by 2030. This is owing to the increasing demand for RTE food products in the region. The largest and fastest-growing region is Asia-Pacific. A huge consumer base and their increasing disposable incomes that allow them to spend on varied food items in the market are driving the region’s market growth. Consumers of the Asia-Pacific region are more likely to spend more on convenient foods to prevent spending a lot of time on conventional cooking to save time. One of the most economical and convenient meals is instant noodles. In the region's densely populated nations like China, Indonesia, and India, their demand is rising quickly.

After the investments and innovations by the key players in China, the consumption of instant noodles has drastically increased. The increasing female working population, growing working population, and dynamic youth groups are some of the major factors that are likely to boost the consumption of the product in the market. This is anticipated to drive the market over the foreseeable future.

Further, the major countries studied are The U.S, Canada, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, China, Japan, India, Australia, South Korea, and Brazil.

Figure 2: INSTANT NOODLES MARKET SHARE BY REGION 2021 (%)Source: Secondary Research, Primary Research, MRFR Database, and Analyst Review

North America's instant noodles market holds the second-largest market share owing to the increasing deskbound lifestyle. Additionally, the U.S. market for instant noodles held the largest market share, and the Mexico instant noodles industry was the fastest growing market in the North American region.

From 2022 to 2030, Europe is anticipated to develop at a CAGR of 5.03%. The growing incidence of lifestyle-related health diseases, the ageing population, hectic daily schedules, rising mental stress, and a supportive attitude toward preventative measures are driving the need for healthy snacks in the local market. While the UK lays the greatest focus on convenience and health advantages, Germany is the largest market for organic and natural foods.

Instant Noodles Key Market Players & Competitive Insights

The major players operating in the instant noodles market are focusing on improving their product portfolio which is anticipated to support the market of instant noodles. The key players are also concentrating on various initiatives to increase their footprints, such as the introduction of new products, mergers, acquisitions, contractual agreements, collaboration, and increased investments with other small enterprises. Participants in the instant noodles industry must provide less-expensive products to survive and grow in a highly competitive and soaring atmosphere.

The world's largest manufacturer of instant noodles is Indofood, the largest food processing firm in Indonesia. The business is a component of Sudono Salim's Salim Group, the largest conglomerate in Indonesia. The activities of Indofood are a total food solutions company, that covers all the phases of food production, including the creation of raw materials and their processing through the sale of consumer goods. It is highly known for being a reputable firm with a strong presence in each industry in which it competes. Additionally, they manufacture a wide variety of consumer-branded goods, such as noodles, dairy, snack foods, seasonings, special foods for nutrition, and beverages.

In Singapore, Nissin Foods (Asia) Pte Ltd. is founded in 1958. The business becomes a source of instant noodles for Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and other markets. The NISSIN FOODS Group explores diverse cuisine options and develops delicious different flavors that will make people dream. They benefit society and the environment by giving everyone the pleasures and delights that food can offer. Their manufacturing plants use automatic manufacturing lines at every stage, from the supply of flour to the packing of finished goods, to produce high volumes of high-quality food products.

Key Companies in the instant noodles market include

• Indofood (Indonesia)


• Nissin Food (Japan)


• Nestle (Switzerland)


• Ajinomoto (Japan)


• ITC Ltd. (India)


• Unilever (United Kingdom)


• Campbell Soup (United States)


• Capital Food (India)


• Tat Hui Foods (Singapore)


• Acecookvietnam (Vietnam)