Europe has the highest level of per capita cheese consumption. In 2023, people in the European Union ate on average 20.5 kilograms of cheese. U.S. and Canada came in second and third in that year at about 17.96 and 14.59 kilograms of cheese per capita.
Cheese market in Europe
Europe is a major player in the global cheese industry. The 27 nations of the European Union generated 10.55 million metric tons of cheese in 2022, almost twice as much as the second leading producer. As of 2021, Germany and the Netherlands were the top exporters of cheese worldwide, each exporting over four billion U.S. dollars worth of cheese in that year.
Global cheese consumption
The United States and the EU-27 were the top consumers of cheese worldwide. Per capita cheese consumption in the United States was about 40.3 pounds in 2021, up from 35 pounds in 2010. Shredded cheese had the highest level of unit sales of any type of cheese in the United States. Shredded cheese is commonly used in dishes such as pizza, quesadillas, and macaroni and cheese.
Per capita consumption of cheese worldwide in 2023, by country
(in kilograms)
* All kinds of cheese.
Per capita consumptions of each country are obtained dividing total consumption (Source FAS-USDA) by the population (Source FAO, Eurostat)
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CLAL. (June 11, 2024). Per capita consumption of cheese worldwide in 2023, by country (in kilograms) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved October 31, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/527195/consumption-of-cheese-per-capita-worldwide-country/
CLAL. "Per capita consumption of cheese worldwide in 2023, by country (in kilograms)." Chart. June 11, 2024. Statista. Accessed October 31, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/527195/consumption-of-cheese-per-capita-worldwide-country/
CLAL. (2024). Per capita consumption of cheese worldwide in 2023, by country (in kilograms). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: October 31, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/527195/consumption-of-cheese-per-capita-worldwide-country/
CLAL. "Per Capita Consumption of Cheese Worldwide in 2023, by Country (in Kilograms)." Statista, Statista Inc., 11 Jun 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/527195/consumption-of-cheese-per-capita-worldwide-country/
CLAL, Per capita consumption of cheese worldwide in 2023, by country (in kilograms) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/527195/consumption-of-cheese-per-capita-worldwide-country/ (last visited October 31, 2024)
Per capita consumption of cheese worldwide in 2023, by country (in kilograms) [Graph], CLAL, June 11, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/527195/consumption-of-cheese-per-capita-worldwide-country/