With food delivery websites and apps readily available, you don’t have to gush over grocery shopping anymore or spend hours cooking to get your full plate of meat and vegetables. 

Have you ever wondered how many Australians use online food delivery? 

We’ve gathered these delicious food delivery statistics in Australia to help you make your next foodie splurge decision. Read on!

Top Eight Food Delivery Statistics in Australia 

  • 5.5 million Aussies used food delivery services in 2020.
  • People in Australia spend $2.6 billion on takeout food
  • Online food delivery platforms in Australia have a market size of $851 million
  • 26.5% of Aussies used food ordering and delivery apps in 2020
  • In 2020, there were 72,500 food delivery drivers in Australia
  • Nearly 40% of Aussie millennials used meal delivery platforms
  • Only 16.6% of people in rural areas rely on food delivery services
  • HungryHungry gained 50,000 deliveries per week during the lockdowns

Australian Food Delivery Statistics

1. 5.5 million Aussies used food delivery services in 2020.

(Roy Morgan)

The number of Australians using takeout food services doubled from 3.9 million in 2019, to 5.5 million just a year later. In 2018, the industry was doing far worse, having only 16.3% of the Australian population using its services.

2. People in Australia spend $2.6 billion on takeout food. 

(Statista)

The cost of fast food and takeaway increased in Australia in 2021 by 2,1 %, which is reflected in higher spending on food delivery services as well.

Generally, Aussies spend about $1,590 per capita on yearly takeover food delivery. As with any other populous city, Sydney takes the high end of food delivery orders in Australia, making almost $2,000 per person each year. 

In 2021, Aussies from the Australian Capital Territory spent the most on takeout, with an average monthly spend of AU$49. Queenslanders spent an average of AU$42 per month on takeout. 

3. In 2021, Aussies spent an average of AU$51 per month on Deliveroo orders.

Deliveroo was the most popular service for takeout in Australia that year, while Menulog and Uber Eats were close behind, with people spending an average of AU$44 each on those services.

(IBISWorld)

Aussies don’t shy away from Indian (15.6%) or Thai food (11.5%) either, and Chinese food is just right behind with a 7.7% share.  Meanwhile, desserts and beverages take up only 6.9% of all food deliveries.

5. 8.1 million Aussies had takeaway food from McDonald’s in 2020.

McDonald’s proves to be the most popular fast-food restaurant in Australia, with more than 8 million customers older than 14 eating there, or ordering takeout food on an average of four weeks. KFC is a close second, with 6.8 million consumers, followed by the 4.2 million Australians choosing Hungry Jack’s. 

6. In 2020, UberEats dominated Australia’s food delivery market share with 59.7%.

(Nestle Professional)

Out of all the major players in the Australian food delivery industry, UberAustralia is the definite leader in market share, followed by:

  • Deliveroo – 17.5%
  • Menulog 12.1%
  • Other – 10.7%

7. UberEats’ delivery commission fees range from 20 to 35%.

(Unilever Food Solutions)

Out of the top three Australian food delivery services, Deliveroo has the highest commission fees, accounting for 30 to 35% of the order’s sales. While UberEats isn’t really that much different regarding delivery charges, Menulog is relatively cheaper, with fees ranging from 14-30%. 

Nonetheless, they all rely on the same payment methods, allowing customers to pay by credit card or PayPal. There is an option for food delivery cash payment in Australia, but it isn’t that widely used.

8. Only 9.1% of baby food purchases in Australia were ordered online.

Although numbers are still low, baby food home delivery has become progressively more popular among Aussies. In 2019, less than 5% of Australians ordered their infants’ food on the internet, while 94.4% preferred physical stores during the following year. 

However, the online baby food delivery industry had an increase in 2021, when 7.6% of baby food purchases were made through delivery apps. Analysts foresee an even bigger growth in the upcoming years, getting up to 15.1% in 2025.

Australian Food Delivery Market and Industry Statistics

9. Throughout the last five years, online food delivery platforms have grown by 20.6%.

Coinciding with the growth of overall sales over the internet of 31.8%, the Australian food delivery industry has extensively increased its market potential, going from $718 million in 2020, to a shocking $836 million in the succeeding year. In 2022, the industry reached its peak with a market size worth $851 million, with estimated 1.7% growth.

10. In September of 2021, online food retailing gained $1.2 billion.

Online food retailing has been at an all-time high all through 2021. There’s been a rising interest in online food shopping since 2018, when the industry generated $431 million at most. 

Two years later, sales started blooming, getting up to a fascinating $855 million. Numbers continued growing and peaked in 2021, with an estimated worth of $1.159 billion.  

11. In 2020, there were 72,500 food delivery drivers in Australia.

(JobOutlook)

The Department of Employment expects strong growth of food delivery drivers in the foreseeable future, considering that this type of job doesn’t require high skills, training or experience. By 2025, the number of workers will probably increase to 79,800. 

According to the latest statistics, NSW accounts for 32.8% of food delivery drivers in Australia, and it is followed by:

  • Victoria – 24.5%
  • Queensland – 21.1%
  • Western Australia – 10.3%
  • South Australia – 7.1%
  • Tasmania – 2.1%
  • Australian Capital Territory – 1.5%
  • Northern Territory – 0.7%

It’s important to note that this sector is far from a high pay industry. Food delivery employees get a weekly pay of $1,010, a sum notably lower than the average pay of $1,460. 

12. Only 10% of food delivery drivers are women.

Which food delivery service pays best in Australia, here is a full list.

The food delivery industry is predominantly male, as 90% of employees in this sector are men. In comparison, other industries usually have a female employment rate of 48%, which is almost half of the total number of people employed.

13. The average age for an Australian food delivery driver is 39 years old.

Millennials are the largest age group employed in the food delivery industry sector, holding a share of 19.5%. Food delivery market research reveals that delivery drivers between the ages of 45 and 54 are a close second (18.9%), followed by 35-44-year-olds (16.1%). 

Young adults occupy 14.7% of employees, while both teens and the 55-59 age group take up 9.2% each.

Food Delivery Demographics

14. Restaurant to Consumer Delivery has a penetration rate of 20.3%.

The user penetration rate has increased for both Restaurant to Consumer and Platform to Consumer delivery. However, Aussies show a bigger tendency to order from restaurants, as platform delivery holds a penetration rate of 12.9%. 

The penetration rates are expected to reach 27.3% for restaurants and 17.4% for food delivery platforms by 2026. 

15. In 2020, 27.9% of Australian women used meal delivery services.

Compared to men (24.9%), women in Australia are more likely to take a break from cooking and enjoy the day with fresh food delivery. Millennials take up 45.2% of women consumers and 43.1% of men.

16. In 2020, nearly 40% of Aussie millennials used meal delivery platforms.

What age group uses food delivery the most? The latest Roy Morgan data on food delivery user demographics in Australia reveals that millennials and Gen Z people are the biggest customers in the meal delivery industry, making up 37.2% of Australian consumers each. 

This is an increase in the number of Gen Z (30.3%) and millennial (27.5%) users in 2019. They are followed by:

  • Gen X – 21.7%
  • Baby Boomers – 11.4%
  • Pre-Boomers – 9%

17. 31.6% of Aussies who live in cities prefer to have their meals brought over to their homes.

COVID-19 definitely helped Melburnians gain a bigger interest in easy food delivery options, as Melbourne topped Sydney (31.7%) during the second lockdown of the Covid-19 pandemic, with 36.1% of residents ordering meals online. Perth was right behind, with 29% of people using these types of services. 

In comparison, only 16.6% of people in rural areas rely on food delivery services. 

18. 60% of people used food delivery services during Covid-19.

(The Guardian)

The use of meal-kit services also went up from 8% to 36%. This rise in food deliveries contributed to a dramatic increase in the amount of food wasted in the country. During the pandemic, $10.3 billion worth of food was discarded with households that used food delivery services generating twice as much food waste. 

Global Food Delivery Statistics

19. The global food delivery industry has a market size worth US$130.2 billion.

How much is the online food delivery industry worth? Although the Australian $851 million meal delivery market size seems like a huge amount, it’s only a portion of the total global version that weighs more than a hundred billion USD. 

On top of that, the worldwide online food delivery industry is expected to further expand to US$223.7 billion as more people get a hold of technology and its advantages. 

20. Between 2019 and 2020, Australia had a restaurant delivery growth of 61%.

Unsurprisingly, out of all the countries worldwide, the US takes up the first spot with a 95% growth of restaurant to customer food delivery during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Australia isn’t far behind, sitting in fourth place, with growth of over 60%. 

Russia and Canada are the only countries that managed to outstrip Aussies with an expansion of 89% and 69%, respectively. 

21. The food delivery industry has worldwide revenue of $460.11 billion.

Receiving prepared meals in front of your doorstep can be a great way to relax after an overwhelming day at work. Sales have been blooming over the last five years, starting off with $173.34 billion in 2018, and increasing to $460 billion in 2022. 

Figures are expected to escalate to a shocking amount of $625.64 billion by 2026. In comparison, Australia currently has a revenue of $3.05 billion, which will most likely grow to $4.26 billion.

22. In 2021, Melbourne and Sydney online food sales experienced an increase of 10.8%.

(Institute for Health Transformation)

As the pandemic started unfolding, many people found solace in online shopping. Just at the start of the Covid-19 situation, online food sales increased by 45%, while Coles and Woolworths showed an online traffic growth of 189%. 

Online food delivery apps also increased their popularity, an example being the 770% growth of UberEats social media mentions. Even less known businesses had a much greater success thanks to the rise of Covid-19, such as HungryHungry, which gained 50,000 deliveries per week during the lockdowns.

23. Marley Spoon makes their boxes from 70% recycled paper.

(Urban List) (Choice)

Aussies waste 361kg of food per capita yearly, which amounts to 20% of the food we eat. Australia’s national plastics recycling rate is only 9%. Australian meal delivery services have taken some measures to be more eco-friendly and positively impact the future of food delivery. 

For instance, Hello Fresh uses recyclable paper bags for packaging and portions food to the exact amount you need. Youfoodz uses plastic but makes sure that it can also be recycled. 

Despite all the attempts to save the planet, the most popular food delivery platforms like UberEats and Deliveroo are far from sustainable. 

24. More than 10,300 delivery e-bikes are in use in Melbourne weekly.

(Institute for Sensible Transport)

There has been an increase in e-bike usage in Melbourne’s food delivery industry. They are a much better alternative to cars or motorcycles, as they don’t pollute as much and have a range of health benefits. 

To ease the work of food delivery drivers, the industry mostly uses throttle-controlled e-bikes instead of those with paddles. However, it is also shown that many of these drivers travel beyond 25 km/h, which is illegal in Australia. 

Wrapping Up

Food delivery statistics in Australia prove that the global ‘click to eat’ craze has also infected Australians. You can easily get the meal that’s been spinning around your mind all day without having to leave the house. 

So go ahead, make your order and cram down a dish from your favourite restaurant!

Choice

Finder

IBISWorld

Institute for Health Transformation

Institute for Sensible Transport

JobOutlook

Nestle Professional

Roy Morgan

Statista

Unilever Food Solutions

Urban List