Number of McDonald's restaurants worldwide 2005-2023

McDonald’s, the renowned global quick service restaurant chain, has maintained annual growth in its restaurant count for almost two decades, even during the years of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In 2023, the company operated and franchised approximately 41.8 thousand restaurants globally, marking a rise from the previous year’s count of around 40.2 thousand establishments.

What country has the most McDonald's restaurants?

McDonald’s has asserted its global dominance through the widespread expansion of its chains across the world. In 2022, France was the European region with the highest number of McDonald's restaurants, closely followed by Germany. Meanwhile, Brazil took first spot in the Latin American and the Caribbean region, and China emerged as the country with the most McDonald's restaurants in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions. That being said, the country with the most McDonald's restaurants in the world was, unsurprisingly, its home nation of the United States.

Is McDonald’s the leading quick service restaurant chain globally?

In 2023, coffee shop chain Starbucks claimed the top spot on the Forbes "Global 2000" list of the leading global food and beverage companies by sales. While it did not place in the top three in the ranking, the McDonald’s Corporation placed fourth, also generating significant sales worldwide. However, McDonald’s was named the most valuable quick service restaurant brand of 2022, with an estimated brand value of 196.5 billion U.S. dollars worldwide.