Per capita consumption of milk in New Zealand 2017-2023
The New Zealand per capita consumption of milk slowly declined between 2018 and 2023, with New Zealanders consuming around 102.33 kilograms per person in 2023. Despite the decrease, New Zealand still had one of the highest per capita milk consumption rates in the world.
New Zealand’s dairy obsession
The high milk consumption rate may have a lot to do with the country’s agricultural and dairy farming roots. New Zealand has a reputation for producing high-quality milk and milk products. Unlike many other dairy producing nations, New Zealand exported most of the milk produced in the country – around 95 percent. Due to the country being geographically distant from its export partners, the whole milk powder segment was by far the most dominant.
Fonterra Co-operative Group
Most dairy farms in the country are owner-operated, and are part of the largest dairy co-operative in the country, Fonterra Co-operative Group. In the latest financial year, the sales revenue of Fonterra was 22.8 billion New Zealand dollars, making it one of the largest companies in the country.
