Instant ramen servings consumed worldwideK-pop album export revenue to the U.S.
Worldwide instant ramen servings and K-pop album export revenue to the U.S. have, between 2017 and 2023, risen together at a correlation of 0.973. The measurement is in servings on one side and dollars on the other, but the shape of the decade is the same. Two Korean-adjacent products scaling across the planet with almost unreasonable consistency.
Worldwide instant ramen servings grew from around 100 billion in 2017 to over 121 billion by 2023, as price-sensitive households in emerging markets expanded consumption and developed markets rediscovered the category during lockdowns. K-pop album export revenue to the U.S. grew from a few million to over $35 million in the same window, led by BTS's Grammy nominations and Blackpink's mainstream festival presence. Both trends are the same decade's appetite for Korean cultural output, whether the output is musical or starchy.
Seven years of two lines rising together can describe one country's two biggest-selling exports reaching the world at the same rate. The song and the serving are both from the same peninsula.
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Want to learn more about why correlations like “Instant ramen servings consumed worldwide” vs “K-pop album export revenue to the U.S.” don't prove causation? Read our guide to statistical thinking.
