The top 10 bestselling candy bars in the world (2024)

Almost everyone is a sucker for candy and we have come a long way from the days of (fictional character) Charlie Bucket, where a single candy bar was the greatest and only birthday present he received. Today, the global confectionary market is worth in excess of $200,000 million, it’s growing every year and we are fortunate enough to have a huge array of options when it comes to buying candy.

High street shops may be disappearing, but websites are more than able to ensure that everyone can get their hands on the candy they love. Understandably everyone has their favourites and there are always going to be those that outsell the others in some countries more than others. Before you read on, why not try to guess the global best sellers before reading on?

10 – M&M’s

These little chocolate delights first appeared in 1941 and were created for the United States military as they were a good fit for their soldiers ration packs. The sugar coating was applied to the chocolate as a way of preventing it from melting and the have gone on to capture the hearts of the world when they became commercially available in 1945.

9 – 3 Musketeers

A primarily American confectionary, the 3 Musketeers bar came from the Mars Corporation in 1932 and contains a light and fluffy nougat centre. Each of the three bars are filled with a different flavour of nougat and were a real hit with consumers.

8 – Kit Kat

Starting life as the Rowntree’s Chocolate Crisp in 1935, this initially four fingered bar originated in the UK. The name Kit Kat was first used when the product was rebranded in 1937 and barring a brief hiatus due to a shortage of ingredients during World War II until 1949 when the familiar red packaging was first introduced.

7 – Dove

Not to be confused with the famous soap brand, this rich and smooth chocolate is made with 100% pure coco butter for its trademark texture and flavour.

6 – Cadbury Dairy Milk

The world famous British brand that was first produced in 1905 and is still made using only milk from British cows. The brand was at the centre of a controversial buyout by Kraft in 2010 as it was the first time in the brand’s history when it has not been controlled by a British company.

5 – Milka

An established German brand of chocolate that dates back to 1901; the name Milka is a portmanteau of the German words for milk and cocoa, milch and kakoa.

4 – Hershey’s Bar

One of the most famous American chocolate bars in the world, the Hershey’s Bar was originally marketed as “The Great American Chocolate Bar”. Hershey brought a new level of quality to their chocolate and blew the competition out of the water when it debuted in 1900.

3 – Milky Way

Another offering from the Mars Corporation, the Milky Way arrived on shelves in 1923. Originally the bar was purchased for a whopping 5 cents (U.S.) and was in two pieces inside the wrapper.

2 – Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Invented by a former employee of Hershey’s, the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups started life in a candy business set up in its founders basem*nt in 1928.

1 – Snickers

That’s right; the Snickers bar is officially the most popular and bestselling candy bar in the world. This bar has had a few different iterations in its life; for example it was known as the Marathon bar in the UK until 1990.