Market research: Global edible bird's nest industry outlook for 2026

Edible bird's nest — long a traditional product across Asia — is increasingly being recognized internationally as a premium functional-food category. Here's a roundup of 2026 market forecasts.

Global edible bird's nest market size (US$ billion)

2026 (forecast)~$9.17B

2035 (forecast)~$19B

Chart redrawn by Whitehorse Foodtech from the sources cited below — not copied from the original reports. Other research firms put the 2026 figure in a wider $6.3–$10.2B range depending on methodology.

Market size: a wider forecast range than most categories

Unlike coffee or fruit powder (where reports broadly agree on growth rate), the edible bird's nest market shows a notably wider spread across research firms — roughly US$6.3–10.2 billion for 2026, depending on how each firm defines market scope (whether traditional Asian retail channels are included). One representative report estimates the market at roughly US$9.17 billion in 2026, growing to about US$19 billion by 2035 — a compound annual growth rate of roughly 8.4%.

Key growth drivers

Premiumization — consumers with rising incomes are increasingly willing to spend on premium wellness products, and bird's nest is a long-trusted traditional choice across many Asian markets.
An aging population in major markets (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and increasingly North America) is creating steady demand for health-supportive functional foods.
Format diversification — moving from traditional raw/dried nest toward more convenient formats like ready-to-drink bottled bird's nest and pure extract — helps reach buyers beyond the traditional customer base.
Reports consistently point to Asia Pacific leading the market, followed by the Middle East & Africa — suggesting there's still significant headroom for growth in markets outside Asia.

What this means for distributors and health & wellness brands

The shift toward convenient formats (bottled bird's nest drinks, pure extract) opens an opportunity for retail and wellness brands to build private-label product lines rather than only importing raw nest — this is exactly the direction Whitehorse Foodtech's deep-processed bird's nest line is built to serve.

Sources:

Figures are summarized in Whitehorse Foodtech's own words from the public reports above as of the publish date. Different research firms may report different numbers — please check the original sources for the full report and the most current data.