China is now the world's largest market for ice cream, according to research compiled by Mintel.
Reports said that ice cream sales totals nearly doubled in China between 2008 and 2014 and finished last year with $11.4 billion in sales -- or one-third of the overall global market.
The Chinese market narrowly edged out the U.S., which grew at a rate of 15 percent during that span and accounted for $11.2 billion in sales last year.
Analysts attributed the shift to a growing Chinese middle class and improved infrastructure, as well as more health-conscious consumers in Western nations.
The U.S., however, still easily led the planet in ice cream consumption per capita with 18.4 liters. Chinese consumption per capita registered less than a quarter of that total.