In addition to being cheap and convenient to eat, instant noodles are also one of the favourite midnight snacks for many Malaysians.

In 2024, the average Malaysian consumed 47 packets of instant noodles, ranking 6th in the world!

According to The Chosun Daily, data released by the World Instant Noodles Association (WINA) on October 9, 2025 showed that South Korea consumed a total of 4.1 billion packets of instant noodles in 2024. Based on a population of 51.75 million, each person consumed an average of 79.2 packets of instant noodles, ranking second in the world.

At the same time, Vietnam consumed 81 packets of instant noodles per capita in 2024, making it the country with the highest per capita consumption; Thailand ranked third, with an average of 57 packets of instant noodles consumed per capita.

Top 10 countries for per capita instant noodle consumption in 2024

1. Vietnam : 81 packs

2. South Korea : 79.2 packs

3. Thailand : 57 packs

4. Nepal : 54 packs

5. Indonesia : 52 packs

6. Japan & Malaysia : 47 packs

8. Taiwan : 40 packs

9. Philippines : 39 packs

10. China and Hong Kong : 31 packages

In addition, global consumption of instant noodles reached 123.07 billion packs in 2024, a record high, up 2.4% from 2023.

Analysts pointed out that this is mainly due to global inflation. The demand for instant noodles continues to rise due to their relatively low prices and ease of cooking.

From a national perspective, China and Hong Kong remain the world's largest markets, ranking first with 43.8 billion packs, about 10.7 times the consumption of South Korea.

The market with the largest sales volume of instant noodles

1. China and Hong Kong: 43.8 billion packages

2. Indonesia: 14.37 billion packages

3. India: 8.32 billion packages

4. Vietnam: 8.14 billion packages

5. Japan: 5.9 billion packages

6. United States: 5.15 billion packages

7. Philippines: 4.49 billion packages

8. South Korea: 4.1 billion packages

9. Thailand: 4.08 billion packages

10. Nigeria: 3 billion packages