Global per capita consumption of cheese 2023, by country

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.