Ranking second globally behind China, Indonesia consumed 14.5 billion servings, 51% higher than the world’s third biggest market, India, according to a report released this month by World Instant Noodles Association.
Fried noodles called “Mie Goreng” are the most popular type of noodle with Indonesia consumers. Vegetable, chicken, and shrimp flavors that have chili condiments are widely consumed. As most of the population is Muslim, many products are halal.
Vietnam secured the fourth place with 8.2 billion servings. But in terms of consumption per capita, the country led the world with 81 servings per person.
A mixture of shrimp and lime is the most popular flavor in the country, and Vietnamese people prefer noodles with elasticity, the WINA report said.
They also add onions, lemons, and peppers to cooked instant noodles. In addition to flour noodles, many products use “pho” rice noodles, which is unique to Vietnam.
The Philippines ranked seventh globally with 4.3 billion servings consumed, down 3.5% from 2024.
The most popular type is the fried noodle called “Pancit Canton.” The flavors of Calamondin (citrus fruit) and hot chili are popular while seafood flavor is also popular for soup noodles. As Filipinos like to snack, they enjoy mini-sized cup type instant noodles.
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A woman eats instant noodles in Bangkok on August 25, 2022. Photo by AFP |
Thailand secured the eighth place in the ranking with almost 4.2 billion servings, the highest on record. Tom yum, Thai suki, and mince pork flavors are popular in Thailand. Generally, spicy flavors with chili are preferred.
In the top 10, Japan, where instant noodles were first produced commercially, ranked fifth with 5.9 billion servings.
The U.S. came at the sixth place with 5.2 billion servings, while South Korea and Nigeria rounded up the list, with 4.1 billion and 3.1 billion servings, respectively.
China remained the world’s largest instant noodle market, with 43.3 billion servings, roughly equal to the combined total of the next five largest markets.
Global demand for instant noodles reached 124 billion servings last year, up 0.7% from 2024.