冻品攻略

New Trends in China's Future Seafood Consumption!

Source: 冻品攻略2025-06-20 08:000 views0 comments

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New Trends in China's Future Seafood Consumption!

According to a research report recently released by the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC), the rapid growth of China's middle class will profoundly change the global consumption landscape of high-value seafood in the coming decades. As income levels continue to rise, demand in the Chinese market for high-end aquatic products such as imported salmon, king crab and cod is accelerating.

Middle-class population to exceed 250 million by 2030

The report, citing data from Oxford Economics, points out that in 2000, China's middle-class population (annual disposable income exceeding USD 35,000) was about 300,000 people, while by 2024 it had grown to 184 million people, accounting for 14% of the total population. It is expected that by 2030, this figure will exceed 250 million people; by 2050, it will surpass 500 million people, accounting for nearly half of the national population.

At the same time, China's high-income group (annual income exceeding USD 70,000) is also growing rapidly, and is expected to grow from the current less than 40 million people to nearly 200 million people by 2050, at which point it will account for 17% of the total population.

Transformation of consumption structure: from quantitative change to qualitative change

The report points out that with the expansion of middle- and high-income groups, Chinese consumers' preferences for seafood are undergoing a clear shift:

In the early period, China's per capita seafood consumption in the 1980s was only 2 kg/year;
In the past five years, per capita consumption has approached 40 kg/year.

Although total consumption is still growing, the more obvious trend is the increased preference for high-value seafood categories. Aquatic products that were originally aimed at high-end channels, including salmon, cod and king crab, are gradually entering the broader urban consumer market.

11 cities will become key markets for high-end seafood

The report specifically points out that the following 11 cities will become the core areas for high-value seafood growth before 2030:

First-tier cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen
New first-tier cities: Suzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, Zhengzhou, Changsha

These cities are expected to have at least 3 million to 6 million middle-class residents before 2030, among which the five cities of Suzhou, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai are each expected to have more than 2 million high-income household members, with strong high-end consumption capacity.

City tier is not the only criterion; regional differences need attention

The report's author, NSC seafood analyst Eivind Hestvik Braekkan, emphasized that although city "tiering" is a commonly used logic for market judgement, actual growth potential still needs to be comprehensively assessed in combination with population structure, income distribution and market maturity.

For example, some third- and fourth-tier cities have high middle-class income growth rates, but their base is still relatively low; while new first-tier cities such as Suzhou, Hangzhou and Chengdu form a more balanced consumption momentum structure between "growth rate" and "scale".

Regional layout and long-term brand building are both indispensable

For international seafood exporters, to seize future opportunities in China's seafood market, they must not only pay attention to volume growth, but also precisely target high-potential regions. The report recommends that companies formulate multi-tier city strategies and build stable consumer awareness through long-term brand investment, especially in emerging middle-class gathering areas.