Mintel Reveals the World’s Cheesiest Nations

With a world cheese market that’s nonetheless rising, cheese has lengthy been a dietary staple for communities all over the world. Although its precise origins are unknown, cheese has a historical past relationship again to round 8000 BCE. There are references to cheesemaking in historic Greek mythology and in imagery in historic Egyptian tomb murals, so we will say with confidence that individuals everywhere in the world have been having fun with consuming cheese for a lot of tons of of years.

To get an understanding of simply how fashionable cheese is all over the world in 2024, Mintel has collated knowledge to discover and analyse which nations love cheese essentially the most. 

We’ve taken a have a look at the international locations the place cheeses originate, which import essentially the most cheese, and that are essentially the most fascinated about cheese. Utilizing this knowledge, now we have scored every nation out of 100 primarily based on their imports, unique cheese manufacturing, and Google searches for ‘cheese’ in native languages, and ranked our very personal prime ten. Be part of Mintel as we reveal the world’s cheesiest nations.

With 38 cheese varieties originating within the Netherlands, together with international favourites like gouda and edam, it ought to come as no shock that the Netherlands is the primary nation of cheese lovers on the planet! Nonetheless, with a comparatively small inhabitants of 17 million, it’s spectacular that the Netherlands has overwhelmed a lot larger international locations to the highest spot. Their small inhabitants imports greater than $14 value of cheese per particular person every year, making them the most important cheese patrons of any nation.

The Netherlands secured their repute by having essentially the most Google searches for ‘cheese’ in native languages per capita out of all of the international locations on the planet. Not solely are they looking for cheese, however they purchase numerous it too. Within the Netherlands, a median of three.1kg of cheese is imported per particular person every year, making them the cheesiest nation on the planet.

With a staggering commerce worth of virtually 375 million USD, France actually places its cash the place its mouth is in the case of loving cheese. Plus, with 246 types of cheese hailing from France, together with staples like brie, roquefort, and camembert, France is a significant participant in cheese manufacturing globally. To say that the French love cheese could be underselling it – with over 90,000 Google searches month-to-month for ‘fromage’, it’s clear that France deserves its place because the second cheesiest nation. Nonetheless, Mintel reported in 2024 {that a} quarter of French shoppers mentioned that they had been consuming much less cheese because of environmental considerations, so maybe we will count on to see France’s place alter on this listing within the close to future.

As a nation that isn’t well-known for producing its personal cheeses, not like another international locations on this listing, Belgium could also be a shock look. With solely 13 cheeses hailing from Belgium, and a comparatively low stage of Google searches every month, Belgium could possibly be mistaken for a comparatively non-cheesy nation.

Nonetheless, with a median commerce worth per particular person of greater than $11, they arrive in second to the Netherlands when it comes to worth per capita. To have a look at that one other method, Belgians import greater than 1.6kg of cheese per particular person every year – rating second on the planet. So, it might be a small nation, however it’s a nation of cheese lovers!

Firstly, the USA is among the cheesiest international locations on the planet merely due to what number of cheeses they’ve on provide! There are 523 cheeses which originate within the USA, in order that’s loads of choices for all palates. 

The USA has the third-largest inhabitants (333 million folks) of the international locations we analysed, behind solely India and China. So, given the extraordinarily excessive inhabitants, it’s stunning that the USA isn’t the world’s largest importer of cheese. In reality, it falls behind 29 different international locations whose commerce worth is bigger than that of the USA, together with a lot smaller nations like Austria, Lebanon, and Norway. 

Nonetheless, with the vast majority of Individuals saying they haven’t heard of cheeses like paneer and halloumi, however 96% consuming Cheddar, the comparatively low commerce worth may communicate to extra native tastes. With greater than 5 hundred American cheese varieties, plainly Individuals desire to eat their very own cheese slightly than imported varieties.

One other European cheese-loving nation, Austria ranks fourth on the planet for commerce worth per capita. Spending greater than $64 million on importing cheeses per yr, and with 41 Austrian cheese varieties to take pleasure in, together with bergkäse and alpenkäse, it’s clear that Austria is a nation wanting to take pleasure in cheese, each in selection and abundance. 

Well-known for cheese like Cheddar and Stilton, the UK has earned its spot on the listing of the world’s cheesiest international locations. Reaching the identical variety of Google Searches per yr as France, however with a inhabitants of 1 million fewer folks, the folks of the UK present a transparent love for cheese. This love is about to develop, having already grown by 44% within the final 5 years, as Mintel forecasts UK cheese gross sales to succeed in £4.5 billion by 2028.

However how does this love translate into monetary worth, past search curiosity? The UK has a commerce worth per capita of round $2.15 – a comparatively low worth for a nation with an evident curiosity in cheese. Equally to the USA, the UK has an ideal many native cheeses – 261 in complete. With 70% of British shoppers buying cheddar, and an extra 36% buying regional British cheeses, plainly cheese lovers within the UK desire to eat cheeses from the UK than to import.

With Switzerland rating because the seventh cheesiest nation on the planet, Europe is represented as soon as extra in its love of cheese!

Switzerland is particularly prolific in importing cheese, rating third highest on the planet for commerce worth per capita; falling simply behind the Netherlands and Belgium. This could be barely stunning contemplating Swiss cheese is a globally well-known selection, however with 32 types of cheese coming from Switzerland, they’re comparatively low when it comes to in-house manufacturing. Regardless of Swiss cheese being a beloved selection, it appears Swiss shoppers desire to import extra unique cheeses from different nations.

With cheese consumption notably constant throughout Scandinavia, Sweden secures eighth place and is adopted carefully by Denmark after which Finland within the listing of the world’s most cheese-loving nations. Regardless of coming in our ultimate slot in our cheese-loving listing, Finland spends essentially the most on importing cheeses per capita, with Sweden and Denmark spending between $4-5 per particular person. Additionally, Finland spends $5.64 per particular person, which places them forward of Sweden and Denmark when it comes to common spend.

Nonetheless, Finland loses factors of their on-line curiosity in cheese, in addition to their very own cheese manufacturing. Finland’s cheese-related Google Searches complete round a 3rd fewer than Denmark’s monthly, with Denmark demonstrating the third-highest month-to-month search quantity. This means to us that Finland shows the least on-line curiosity in cheese of the three nations.

Lastly, Sweden takes the (cheese)cake with their very own cheese manufacturing. There are 25 cheese varieties with origins in Sweden, in comparison with solely 16 in Denmark and 6 in Finland.

So, we all know which international locations are the most important cheese lovers general – however which nations spend essentially the most on importing their favorite dairy merchandise? Let’s dive into the UN Comtrade knowledge to analyse which international locations are importing essentially the most cheese.

France is the most important importer of cheese on the planet, spending a complete of $374 million on cheese every year. With a small inhabitants and loads of native cheeses, this can be a staggering quantity. This speaks to a rising pattern in France of consuming cheese as an economical various to meat, with practically half of French shoppers doing so.

Not showing in Mintel’s general listing of Prime 10 Cheesiest Nations, Germany is the truth is the second largest importer of cheeses on the planet. Germany spends $294 million on cheese imports per yr.

With solely 11 types of cheese originating in Mexico, there’s a love of cheese that should be imported. This is the reason Mexico is spending $276 million on cheese imports per yr.

The cheesiest nation on the planet, the Netherlands imports a complete lot of cheese – totalling a spend of $259 million per yr.

Regardless of not that includes in Mintel’s Prime 10 Cheesiest Nations, China imports a whopping $186 million value of cheese every year to accommodate their huge inhabitants.

Within the prime spot for cheese imports by weight, Mexico brings in 56 million kilograms of cheese every year.

Our cheesiest nation imports nearly as a lot as Mexico, which has seven instances the inhabitants. The Netherlands imports 55 million kilograms of cheese per yr.

The second cheesiest nation on the planet is third when it comes to imports by weight, bringing in 52 million kilograms of cheese per yr.

Germany secures its spot as an enormous importer of cheese, in weight in addition to commerce worth,  importing 45 million kilograms of cheese per yr. 

With such a big inhabitants, it’s no shock that at the same time as a comparatively non-cheesy nation, China nonetheless imports 33 million kilograms of cheese per yr.

Being a nation of cheese lovers isn’t nearly how a lot you purchase – it’s additionally about how you’re in cheese. Let’s take a look at which international locations search cheese-related queries essentially the most, utilizing Google Advertisements Search knowledge. 

With a big inhabitants of cheese lovers, and rating fourth on our Prime Ten listing of cheese-loving nations, the folks of the USA use Google to seek for cheese greater than 246,000 instances every month. That’s equal to six.6 instances per particular person.

Though India isn’t one of many world’s cheesiest nations, paneer cheese is a staple of many Indian diets as a supply of protein and an alternative choice to meat in meals. This could possibly be why Indians search cheese-related queries 175,000 instances monthly.

Though Japan ranks low on the listing of cheesiest international locations on the planet, at twenty ninth, they seek for cheese 110,000 instances monthly, inserting them above the UK in cheese-related search queries.

One of many largest shoppers and producers of cheese on the planet, the folks of the UK are additionally fascinated about looking out on-line for cheese! 90,500 instances monthly, to be precise.

With the identical month-to-month search quantity because the UK, however a bigger inhabitants, France is available in at fifth, when it comes to the international locations mostly looking for cheese on-line.

Once more looking for cheese-related queries 90,500 instances monthly, however with a a lot bigger inhabitants, Brazil ranks simply behind the UK and France in search complete.

In an effort to decide the world’s largest cheese lovers we created a seedlist of cheese-producing nations from cheese.com. We scraped cheese.com to get an inventory of what number of cheeses are produced by every nation on their listing.

We used the newest UN Comtrade knowledge on imports of Cheese and Curd for every of those international locations. We took knowledge on Commerce Worth and Internet Imports (kg).

We then needed to search out out which nation searches for ‘cheese’ essentially the most. We then took an inventory of the official languages of every of those international locations and translated the phrase for ‘cheese’. We then used these translations to learn how many instances, on common, every nation looked for cheese every month between Jan 2023 – Dec 2023.

We additionally collected knowledge from the World Financial institution to get the newest inhabitants figures for every nation.