In this article, we will be taking a look at the global cheese market and the 25 countries that consume the most cheese. If you wish to see the top five countries, head straight to the Per Capita Cheese Consumption by Country: Top 5.
Cheese has been consumed as a staple food for centuries and continues to remain a key ingredient to be used in various dishes worldwide. Cheese consumption among consumers is increasing considering its varieties and availability worldwide. European cuisines use more cheese compared to other ethnic dishes and they make up for a large portion of the global cheese market.
Global Cheese Market: An Analysis
Cheese belongs to the milk and dairy products industry, and the rise in global demand for milk and dairy continues to push the cheese market. With the rising population and income, more dairy products are expected to be consumed over the medium term. According to the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2023-2032, the countries with the highest demand for dairy products include Pakistan, India, and many African countries. The report suggests that the European Union, the U.S., and New Zealand are on track to become the key exporters of processed dairy products. These regions are expected to jointly export 65% of cheese, 70% of butter, 70% of whole milk powder, and 80% of skim milk powder in 2032. In June, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations shared the Food Outlook of Biannual Report on Global Food Markets. The report highlights the export forecasts for cheese around different regions of the world. The European Union is expected to export 1.34 million tonnes of cheese in 2023. Whereas, the U.S., New Zealand, Belarus, and the U.K. are projected to export 468 million, 345 million, 307 million, and 179 million tonnes of cheese in 2023, respectively.
The U.S. continues to remain a big cheese market. The U.S. Department of Agriculture posted export statistics for cheese from 2022, with more than 450,000 metric tonnes of cheese exported worldwide. In 2022, the U.S. cheese export market value was reported at $2.3 billion. The main consumer markets for the U.S. remain Mexico, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and Canada. Mexico is the largest importer of U.S. cheese with 87% of its cheese imports coming from its neighbor in 2022.
In June 2023, Fortune Business Insights published a report on the cheese market size, mentioning the global cheese market at $183.79 billion in 2022. The global cheese market is projected to grow from $187.42 billion in 2023 to $256.99 billion by 2030, at a compound annual growth rate of 4.61%.
The COVID-19 pandemic had different effects on both cheese importers and exporters. In exporting countries, the pandemic led to an oversupply of milk, and the producers experienced a drop in prices. Whereas, producers from the importing countries faced challenges mainly in the market channels. High-end speciality cheesemakers suffered as consumers were not willing to pay for high-end products during the pandemic.
However, the market is improving and continuing to experience strong demand after the reopening of global trade. Consumers are willing to try new tastes and cheese remains in high demand. Certain cheese types are higher in demand such as cheddar, mozzarella, and parmesan - to name a few. Some of the largest cheese markets consume various categories of cheese. For instance, the U.S. is a massive cheese market and it consumes different types of cheese. As we mentioned earlier, the most consumed cheese in the U.S. includes Mozzarella, Cheddar, Swiss, and Cream and Neufchatel cheese, among others.
Players in the Cheese Market
The leading cheese producing companies are back on track after a pause during the pandemic. Nestlé S.A. (SWX:NESN) is one of the largest food companies in the world and also carries production in the dairy and cheese market. Other top players in this competitive market include Saputo Inc. (TSE:SAP), Danone S.A. (EPA:BN), and Lactalis. Lactalis is a French dairy producer formerly known as Besnier SA. On April 20, Reuters reported that Lactalis had suffered a 14% decline in its net profit which amounted to EUR 384 million in 2022. Despite the increase in the cheesemaker’s sales by 28.4% to EUR 28.3 billion in 2022, the drop in net profit indicates a rise in production cost. Lactalis is a French company and the main reason for its narrowed profit is a spike in food prices, influenced by the Russia-Ukraine war. Nestlé S.A. (SWX:NESN) is a mega-conglomerate that stands tall in the food market. On July 27, Nestlé S.A. (SWX:NESN) posted half-year results for 2023. The multinational firm reported sales of CHF 46.3 billion for the first half of 2023. The company reported earnings per share of CHF 2.13 for the first half. Nestlé S.A. (SWX:NESN) shared its full-year outlook for 2023 and said it expects its organic sales to grow between 7% and 8%. Here are some of the comments from Nestlé’s CEO, Mark Schneider:
"We pursued our strategic priorities with discipline and focus in a fast-evolving consumer environment. Based on the strong performance in the first half of the year we upgrade our organic sales growth outlook for 2023. At-home consumption post-COVID has now normalized, removing a growth drag on some of our categories. Out-of-home channels continue to see strong growth momentum.
Per Capita Cheese Consumption by Country: Top 25
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Our Methodology
Finding data for the countries with the highest cheese consumption per capita was a challenging task due to a lack of data. We sourced our data for cheese consumption per capita for each country from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) Data Explorer. We gathered the list of 35 countries and ranked them based on human consumption of cheese metric, measured in kilograms per person. We did not have separate data for some European countries, but we did have the human consumption of cheese for the EU region as a whole. Therefore we ranked those EU countries based on their respective population. We sourced the population of countries from the World Bank database. Here is the list of 25 countries with the highest cheese consumption per capita.
Per Capita Cheese Consumption by Country: Top 25
25. Brazil
Human Consumption of Cheese (2022): 3.91 Kg Per Person
Population: 215.3 Million
Brazil is one of the largest populated countries and a notable amount of cheese is consumed annually. In 2022, the country consumed 842.95 thousand tonnes of cheese. Brazil ranks among the 25 countries with the highest cheese consumption per capita.
Some of the renowned food companies that produce cheese include Nestlé S.A. (SWX:NESN), Saputo Inc. (TSE:SAP), and Danone S.A. (EPA:BN).
24. Ukraine
Human Consumption of Cheese (2022): 4.54 Kg Per Person
Population: 38 Million
A variety of cheeses are consumed in Ukraine. Despite the war, Ukraine consumed 196.26 thousand tonnes of cheese in 2022. The Russian neighbor is ranked among the 25 countries with the highest cheese consumption per capita.
23. Egypt
Human Consumption of Cheese (2022): 5.55 Kg Per Person
Population: 110.9 Million
Egypt is one of the ancient civilizations and it uses cheese in its various traditional dishes. The country consumed 589.65 thousand tonnes of cheese in 2022 and makes it to our list of the 25 countries with the highest cheese consumption per capita.
22. Russia
Human Consumption of Cheese (2022): 6.04 Kg Per Person
Population: 143.5 Million
Russia ranks 22nd on our list of the 25 countries with the highest cheese consumption per capita. Russia consumed 880.26 thousand tonnes of cheese in 2022.
21. Saudi Arabia
Human Consumption of Cheese (2022): 6.66 Kg Per Person
Population: 36.4 Million
Saudi Arabia continues to consume more cheese each year. According to Mordor Intelligence, Saudi Arabia’s dairy product market is expected to increase from $5.27 billion in 2023 to $6.64 billion in 2028, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 4.71%. Saudi Arabia is among the top cheese-consuming countries in the Middle East and makes it to our list of the 25 countries with the highest cheese consumption per capita.
20. Argentina
Human Consumption of Cheese (2022): 8.62 Kg Per Person
Population: 46.2 Million
Argentina consumed 396.71 thousand tonnes of cheese in 2022. Argentina makes it to our list of the 25 countries with the highest cheese consumption per capita.
19. Chile
Human Consumption of Cheese (2022): 9.01 Kg Per Person
Population: 19.6 Million
Chile ranks 19th on our list of the 25 countries with the highest cheese consumption per capita. Chile is one of the largest cheese consumers in Latin America, with a total of 173.48 thousand tonnes of cheese consumed in 2022.
18. New Zealand
Human Consumption of Cheese (2022): 10.37 Kg Per Person
Population: 5.1 Million
New Zealand is not the biggest of countries but still manages to consume a large amount of cheese each year. In 2022, New Zealand consumed 50.81 thousand tonnes of cheese. The island country makes it to our list of the 25 countries with the highest cheese consumption per capita.
17. United Kingdom
Human Consumption of Cheese (2022): 12.11 Kg Per Person
Population: 66.9 Million
The Britishers consume a massive amount of cheese each year. In 2022, the United Kingdom consumed 829.47 thousand tonnes of cheese and ranks 17th on our list of the 25 countries with the highest cheese consumption per capita.
16. Australia
Human Consumption of Cheese (2022): 13.04 Kg Per Person
Population: 25.9 Million
Australia is one of the largest cheese markets with a total cheese consumption of 339.91 thousand tonnes in 2022. Considering Australia’s population, the consumption rate is high compared to many countries. Australia ranks among the 25 countries with the highest cheese consumption per capita.
15. Canada
Human Consumption of Cheese (2022): 14.02 Kg Per Person
Population: 38.9 Million
Canada is a land of diverse cultures with different ethnic cuisines and for that reason, Canadian people use cheese in various dishes. In 2022, Canada consumed 538.22 thousand tonnes of cheese and is ranked among the 25 countries with the highest cheese consumption per capita.
14. United States
Human Consumption of Cheese (2022): 17.87 Kg Per Person
Population: 333.2 Million
The United States is one of the largest cheese markets in the world, sharing a large portion in both the import and export of cheese. In 2022, the United States consumed 5.98 million tonnes of cheese and is ranked 14th on our list of the 25 countries with the highest cheese consumption per capita.
13. Israel
Human Consumption of Cheese (2022): 18.22 Kg Per Person
Population: 9.5 Million
Israel consumed 162.60 thousand tonnes of cheese in 2022. With a growing cheese market in Israel, it ranks 13th on our list of the 25 countries with the highest cheese consumption per capita.
12. Norway
Human Consumption of Cheese (2022): 18.40 Kg Per Person
Population: 5.4 Million
The Scandinavian country makes it to our list of the 25 countries with the highest cheese consumption per capita. In 2022, Norway consumed 101.39 thousand tonnes of cheese.
11. Iceland
Human Consumption of Cheese (2022): 21.67 Kg Per Person
Population: 381,900
Iceland has some of the finest cheese in the world. Iceland is a European Union country and with a population of 381,900, it ranks among the 25 countries with the highest cheese consumption per capita.
10. Luxembourg
Human Consumption of Cheese (2022): 21.67 Kg Per Person
Population: 650,770
Another European Union country, Luxembourg is one of the largest cheese consumers in the world. With a population of 650,770, Luxembourg is ranked 10th on our list of the 25 countries with the highest cheese consumption per capita.
9. Estonia
Human Consumption of Cheese (2022): 21.67 Kg Per Person
Population: 1.3 Million
Estonia is a European Union country with a population of 1.3 million. Estonia ranks ninth on our list of the 25 countries with the highest cheese consumption per capita.
8. Finland
Human Consumption of Cheese (2022): 21.67 Kg Per Person
Population: 5.5 Million
Finland is part of the European Union and has a population of 5.5 million. Finland makes it to our list of the 25 countries with the highest cheese consumption per capita.
7. Czech Republic
Human Consumption of Cheese (2022): 21.67 Kg Per Person
Population: 10.52 Million
The Czech Republic also known as Czechia is one of the leading cheese consumers in the region. With a population of 10.52 million, the Czech Republic makes it to our list of the 25 countries with the highest cheese consumption per capita.
6. Greece
Human Consumption of Cheese (2022): 21.67 Kg Per Person
Population: 10.56 Million
With a slight difference in population from the Czech Republic, Greece ranks sixth on our list of the 25 countries with the highest cheese consumption per capita.
Swiss multinational food giant Nestlé S.A. (SWX:NESN) is among the top cheese producers in the world and some other well-known companies in this sector include Saputo Inc. (TSE:SAP) and Danone S.A. (EPA:BN).