The coronavirus pandemic has battered a wide variety of companies and industries across the globe, but makers of instant noodles have been an apparent beneficiary of countrywide lockdowns. With people in Asia the biggest consumers of the staple, manufacturers in the region are emerging as outperformers.

As more people stayed home because of lockdowns and social-distancing rules, instant noodles gained renewed traction in the world's most populous country.

The reduced mobility of the population highlighted the importance of the markets in lower-tier cities and rural areas, and there has been an upward trend of consumers' stockpiling amidst the pandemic and preference to home dining and drinking. Consumers gained a new understanding of the safety and deliciousness of instant noodles, and the industry experienced a noticeable growth.

Asians in general have a big appetite for instant noodles. China is by far the largest consumer of instant noodles in the world. Seven other countries in the region -- Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Japan, Philippines, Korea -- made the Top 10 list as measured by consumption volume.