The global market for ready meals is estimated to be worth between $50 billion and $75 billion a year, according to definition and the types of product included. The largest markets are, perhaps not surprisingly, in North America and Europe, which combine to account for three-quarters of sales value. However, the Asian market is also now quite substantial and showing generally much higher growth rates than the developed markets in the West.
Although frozen foods make up the largest part of the market in countries such as the U.S. and Germany, chilled meals have emerged as a major force to be reckoned with over the past 25 years or so, as chill-chain distribution has developed internationally. There is also a significant market for canned and ambient lines in some countries.