Market Overview

The estimated widely distributed confectionary market size for FY2023 expanded to 2,103,900 million yen, up 5.6% on YoY. As costs for raw materials, personnel, and transportations kept on rising, many companies continuously revised product prices. While sales volume of some products declined due to saving mindset by consumers, increased unit selling prices supplemented the decline and rather grew the market size. As foot traffic returned and leisure and events resumed in the wake of relaxed behavioral restrictions for the pandemic, demand for pocket-size snacks and sweets increased, which, together with recovery in inbound tourism demand, invigorated the market. 
When observing the market by category, the favorable sales of hard and chew candies contributed to market expansion by achieving double digit growth, as cough drops showed strong sales, owing to higher consciousness to take care of throat by themselves among consumers, to gummies continued to be popular among young consumers including Generation Z, and to revived demand for other pocket-sized sweets. The sales of snacks also enormously affected for market growth, by achieving double-digit growth without reducing the sales volume even after revising the prices.

Noteworthy Topics

With Favorable Sales of Cough Drops and Gummies, Market Size of Hard and Chewy Candies Getting Close to Biscuit Market Size

In recent years, gummies show remarkable popularity especially among Generation Z, notably increasing the number of products and the size of sales floors. Around the latter half of FY2022 when footfall increased after the lift of behavioral restrictions, people started caring themselves against any discomfort in their throats, which resulted in an upturn in cough drop sales. This led the hard and chewy candies market in which above items belong to expanded markedly.


The hard and chewy candies market for FY2023 rose by 11.4% on YoY to 284,300 million yen, closing in on the market size of biscuits, the third largest category.

Future Outlook

The market size of widely distributed confectionary for FY2024 is projected to increase by 3.1% on YoY to 2,168,900 million yen. Despite negative factors such as soaring cacao bean prices and ever weakening yen, confectionary centered on biscuits, snacks, hard and chewy candies is in demand stably by domestic consumers and robustly by inbound customers.


Backdrop behind steadfast demand for domestic confectionary regardless of rising commodity prices and stronger saving consumer tendency lies in higher demand for inexpensive confectionary among various articles of taste which include chilled sweets and treats at patisseries.

Research Outline