Online food delivery in China - statistics & facts
As a developing economy, China yet does not rank among the top ten countries internationally in terms of digital competitiveness. However, modern technologies have changed the Chinese people's day-to-day life significantly, including how they eat. China has the largest userbase of online food delivery services worldwide, which has exceeded 540 million users. In 2024, China was forcasted to generate almost 450 billion U.S. dollars in revenue from its online food delivery industry, 100 billion U.S. dollars more than the United States. This gap is expected to persist in the next few years.
After a long and tiring working day, ordering food online has became a convenient and affordable solution for younger Chinese to enjoy a nutritious meal. More than 80 percent of the online food delivery service users in China are under 35 years old, and most of them are office workers. Chinese consumers are sensitive to the price of the food as much as the quality. Therefore, online food delivery platforms often incentivize new and existing consumers through discount activities and free delivery. In 2023, majority of Chinese consumers spent less than seven U.S. dollars on getting a meal delivered.
Market snapshot
Meituan and Ele.me are the two leading online food ordering platforms in China taking over 98 percent of the online food delivery market. The largest shareholder of Meituan is China's internet giant Tencent, while Ele.me is operated by Alibaba Group. By the end of 2019, a total of three million restaurants were listed on these two aforementioned platforms, covering a broad range of China's major cities. The thriving online food delivery industry has created millions of jobs.After a long and tiring working day, ordering food online has became a convenient and affordable solution for younger Chinese to enjoy a nutritious meal. More than 80 percent of the online food delivery service users in China are under 35 years old, and most of them are office workers. Chinese consumers are sensitive to the price of the food as much as the quality. Therefore, online food delivery platforms often incentivize new and existing consumers through discount activities and free delivery. In 2023, majority of Chinese consumers spent less than seven U.S. dollars on getting a meal delivered.
