Contents
- U.S. confectionery retail sales and category growth
- South Korea confectionery retail sales and category mix
- What makes up South Korea’s confectionery sales?
- Global confectionery retail sales by leading markets
- U.S. seasonal confectionery sales and household buying
- Candy sales in U.S. convenience stores
- Sources
U.S. confectionery retail sales and category growth
U.S. confectionery sales totaled $54.2 billion in 2024 across measured and unmeasured channels, according to the category sales estimate cited by the National Confectioners Association (NCA). Chocolate accounted for $28.1 billion, non-chocolate candy for $21.7 billion, and gum for $4.4 billion. Together, those three category figures equal the reported total.
| U.S. category | 2024 total sales |
|---|---|
| Chocolate | $28.1 billion |
| Non-chocolate candy | $21.7 billion |
| Gum | $4.4 billion |
| Confectionery | $54.2 billion |
These totals cover all channels, including measured and unmeasured ones. They should be distinguished from the growth rates below, which cover Circana-measured U.S. MULO+ outlets with convenience for the 52 weeks ending December 29, 2024. In that narrower channel measure, dollar sales grew 0.4% for chocolate, 4.9% for non-chocolate candy, and 1.9% for gum and mints. The gum-and-mints growth grouping is not identical to the all-channel gum total above.
The contrast is useful: category size and measured-channel growth answer different questions. A large annual sales value does not imply the fastest recent dollar growth, and the reported growth rates do not cover every outlet in the all-channel estimate. Dollar growth also does not by itself describe unit volume.
Source: State of Treating 2025.
South Korea confectionery retail sales and category mix
South Korea recorded US$1,250.4 million in confectionery retail value sales in 2023. Sugar confectionery was the largest of the three reported categories at US$575.9 million, or 46.1% of the total. Chocolate confectionery contributed US$535.0 million, or 42.8%, while gum accounted for US$139.5 million, or 11.2%. The small difference between the shares and 100% reflects rounding.
| South Korean category, 2023 | Retail value (US$ millions) | Share of confectionery value |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar confectionery | 575.9 | 46.1% |
| Chocolate confectionery | 535.0 | 42.8% |
| Gum | 139.5 | 11.2% |
| Total confectionery | 1,250.4 | 100% |
The same report gives 2018 confectionery retail value as US$1,271.6 million. That historical comparison indicates a lower value in 2023 than in 2018 in the figures presented, but it does not establish a continuous annual trend or explain the difference. These values are in U.S. dollars as reported; they are not a direct comparison of local-currency sales or physical quantities.
Volume tells a related but distinct story. South Korean confectionery volume across retail and foodservice was 109.1 million kilograms in 2023. Sugar confectionery made up 65.6 million kilograms, chocolate 37.8 million, and gum 5.7 million. The report says retail accounted for 97.6% of volume in 2023, so the combined retail-and-foodservice total was predominantly retail, though it should not be labeled retail-only.
Source: Sector Trend Analysis – Confectionery trends in South Korea.
What makes up South Korea’s confectionery sales?
Within South Korea’s sugar confectionery category, pastilles, gummies, jellies and chews were the largest reported segment, with US$334.7 million in 2023 retail sales. That is about 58.1% of the sugar confectionery value reported in the same source. The remaining listed segments were substantially smaller: other sugar confectionery was US$83.0 million; boiled sweets, US$39.9 million; mints, US$39.4 million; lollipops, US$36.4 million; medicated confectionery, US$32.1 million; and toffees, caramels and nougat, US$10.3 million.
“Other sugar confectionery” follows the report’s classification and includes products such as marshmallow or sweet liquid concentrates sold as candies, as well as halva. The label therefore covers a defined assortment rather than a single familiar candy type.
For chocolate confectionery, countlines led with US$171.3 million in 2023 retail value sales. Chocolate pouches and bags brought in US$128.6 million, boxed assortments US$42.9 million, and chocolate with toys US$38.7 million. These figures show why a headline chocolate total can conceal very different product formats and occasions.
Gum sales were US$139.5 million overall. Chewing gum represented US$121.9 million of that amount, while bubble gum accounted for US$17.6 million. The report’s subcategory values are rounded to one decimal place, so small discrepancies can occur when summing components.
Source for all South Korean category and subcategory figures: Sector Trend Analysis – Confectionery trends in South Korea.
Global confectionery retail sales by leading markets
Global confectionery retail sales were US$211.0 billion in 2023 (US$211,045.9 million in the source table). The United States was the largest market in the listed comparison at US$48.8 billion. Other large markets included China at US$12.8 billion, Germany at US$12.5 billion, Russia at US$11.8 billion and the United Kingdom at US$11.2 billion.
| Market, 2023 | Retail sales (US$ billions) |
|---|---|
| United States | 48.84 |
| China | 12.83 |
| Germany | 12.45 |
| Russia | 11.77 |
| United Kingdom | 11.25 |
| South Korea | 1.25 |
| Global total | 211.05 |
The source identifies South Korea as the world’s 30th-largest confectionery market in 2023. Canada was 10th, with US$4.5 billion in sales and a 2.1% global share. These rankings and values describe retail value, not per-person consumption or production. The U.S. value here is also for 2023, whereas the $54.2 billion U.S. total earlier in this article is a 2024 estimate with a stated all-channel scope; the two figures use different years and should not be treated as a like-for-like annual growth calculation.
The global table also reports US$163.6 billion in 2018. The larger 2023 total is a nominal value comparison across the source’s historical series. It does not separate price changes from changes in quantities purchased.
Source: Sector Trend Analysis – Confectionery trends in South Korea.
U.S. seasonal confectionery sales and household buying
Seasonal periods account for a substantial share of U.S. confectionery sales. The four major moments—Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween and winter holidays—represented 62% of annual industry sales in 2024. Winter holidays were the largest seasonal moment, at more than 18% of seasonal confectionery sales.
Circana’s U.S. MULO+ with convenience channel figures put confectionery sales at $5.5 billion in the seven weeks ending February 18, 2024, for Valentine’s Day, and $5.3 billion in the six weeks ending March 31 for Easter. Halloween reached $7.4 billion in the eight weeks ending November 3, while winter holidays recorded $7.5 billion in the eight weeks ending December 29. Because the measurement windows differ, these are period totals, not equal-length event comparisons.
Household-panel measures provide another view of the market. In the 52 weeks ending December 29, 2024, 98.3% of U.S. households bought confectionery. Buyers averaged 35.6 purchase trips, 83.6 units per buyer, and $276 in annual spending per buyer. These are panel measures of purchasing households and buyers, not a statement that every household spent the average amount.
The NCA also reported that U.S. non-chocolate candy sales grew 5.1% from 2023 to 2024. That year-over-year figure aligns directionally with the stronger measured-channel growth for non-chocolate candy, but the sources describe separate measures and should not be combined into one calculation.
Sources: State of Treating 2025; Consumers Are Making Seasons Bright With Chocolate, Candy.
Candy sales in U.S. convenience stores
Convenience-store data offer a focused look at one retail channel. Candy dollar sales averaged $8,816 per store per month in 2024, up 3.6% from 2023, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) article’s account of its 2024 industry data. Candy generated a 50.58% margin and a 3.7% increase in gross profits. It contributed 3.6% of convenience-store in-store sales.
These measures describe store-level monthly sales, category margin, gross-profit change and share of in-store sales. They do not show the number of candy units sold or the share of all U.S. confectionery sales that passed through convenience stores.
A separate NCA report gives broader channel context for 2023: confectionery and gum sales reached $35.3 billion across U.S. multi-outlet plus convenience outlets, an 8.9% increase from the prior year. Within that scope, chocolate sales were $19.5 billion, up 5.8%, and non-chocolate candy reached $12.4 billion, up 12.3%. Regular gum sales totaled $3.4 billion, up 5.7%. These are combined multi-outlet and convenience figures, not convenience-store-only results, and they cover 2023 rather than the NACS 2024 store average.
Sources: Sweet and Steady: Candy Remains a Top Category in C-Stores; Category Sets Dollar Sales Record In 2023; Unit Pressures Persist.