"Even the Middle Class Eats Ramyeon"... Ramyeon Conquering Global Tables Amid Economic Downturn

Global Annual Consumption Reaches 112.2 Billion Servings
The Guardian Reports "Instant Ramen Consumption Rises Due to Financial Hardship"

Instant ramen has taken over dining tables in 50 countries worldwide. Last year, the global consumption of ramen reached 112.2 billion servings. The high sales figures were driven by the worldwide economic downturn.

On the 20th (local time), the British newspaper The Guardian analyzed that "financial hardship is increasing instant ramen consumption," citing the COVID-19 pandemic and economic recession as factors behind the rise in ramen consumption. In fact, in Mexico, consumption surged by 17.2% in 2021 and increased by 20% again last year after the pandemic.

Ramen Price Reduction Unlikely to Significantly Lower Inflation
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Among the top five countries with the highest instant ramen consumption, most are nations with a long tradition of eating noodles, such as China, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Japan. The Guardian reported that India, which ranked third, did not have a noodle culture but has recently seen an increase in instant ramen consumption.

Additionally, ramen consumption has sharply increased in countries like Mexico and the United States. In Mexico, ramen demand rose by 17.2% during the COVID-19 period and increased by another 11% last year.

Accordingly, Nissin Foods, the Japanese company that first developed instant ramen in the world, announced it will invest $228 million (approximately 294.4 billion KRW) to expand its factory in the United States. As middle-class consumers who previously did not eat ramen have started incorporating it into their daily lives, the company is expanding its business.

Nissin’s competitor, Toyo Suisan, also plans to build additional factories in the United States and Mexico by 2025 to increase ramen production. Toyo Suisan stated, "The number of consumers regularly eating instant noodles is increasing, and we will further expand the variety of ramen in the future."

Due to the popularity of instant ramen, about 1,000 new ramen products are launched annually in Japan. In the food sector, where prices have stagnated over the past two years, only instant ramen prices have unusually risen by about 20%.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s ramen exports have surpassed 1 trillion KRW for the first time. According to customs trade statistics on the 20th, ramen export value from January to October this year was $785.25 million, a 24.7% increase compared to the same period last year. This figure exceeded last year’s annual record of $765.41 million within just 10 months of this year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.