The U.K. Loves Ice Cream!

From a classic 99 by the beach on a sunny day, to all the modern dietary-friendly alternatives now available, it’s no shock to say that the UK collectively loves ice cream in all its variations!

If you’re considering making a move into the ice cream market, whether that’s expanding your existing business operations, or creating and opening a new hospitality brand, then we understand you might want to dig into the market in as many ways as possible.

At Dairyglen we’re industry experts with 35+ years of experience in ice cream, milkshakes and other frozen treats so we’ve collected together some helpful ice cream statistics to help get you started.

The UK is another major ice cream market, with consumers eating approximately 7 litres of ice cream per person each year.

The UK ice cream manufacturing sector has an annual turnover of approximately £520 million, with more than 350 businesses currently operating within the sector.

The market is expected to continue growing, with some forecasts suggesting it could reach £4.2 billion by 2032.

The wider dairy and food manufacturing sector is worth more than £5 billion annually in the UK, with ice cream accounting for approximately £1.3 billion.

UK market growth

The market also experienced strong growth during 2025.

According to The Grocer, the value of the ice cream market increased by 9% during the year, while sales volumes increased by 3.2%.

This combination of value and volume growth points towards continued consumer demand for ice cream, despite wider pressures on household spending.