Mintel Reveals the World’s Cheesiest Nations

With a worldwide cheese market that’s nonetheless rising, cheese has lengthy been a dietary staple for communities world wide. Although its actual origins are unknown, cheese has a historical past courting again to round 8000 BCE. There are references to cheesemaking in historical Greek mythology and in imagery in historical Egyptian tomb murals, so we are able to say with confidence that folks 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 standard cheese is world wide in 2024, Mintel has collated information to discover and analyse which nations love cheese probably the most. 

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

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

The Netherlands secured their fame by having probably the most Google searches for ‘cheese’ in native languages per capita out of all of the international locations on the earth. Not solely are they trying to find cheese, however they purchase a variety of it too. Within the Netherlands, a mean of three.1kg of cheese is imported per particular person annually, making them the cheesiest nation on the earth.

With a staggering commerce worth of just about 375 million USD, France actually places its cash the place its mouth is on the subject of loving cheese. Plus, with 246 styles of cheese hailing from France, together with staples like brie, roquefort, and camembert, France is a serious 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. Nevertheless, Mintel reported in 2024 {that a} quarter of French customers mentioned that they have been consuming much less cheese on account of environmental considerations, so maybe we are able to 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.

Nevertheless, with a mean commerce worth per particular person of greater than $11, they arrive in second to the Netherlands by way of worth per capita. To take a look at that one other manner, Belgians import greater than 1.6kg of cheese per particular person annually – rating second on the earth. So, it might be a small nation, however it’s a nation of cheese lovers!

At first, the USA is among the cheesiest international locations on the earth 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 shocking that the USA shouldn’t be the world’s greatest importer of cheese. Actually, it falls behind 29 different international locations whose commerce worth is larger than that of the USA, together with a lot smaller nations like Austria, Lebanon, and Norway. 

Nevertheless, with nearly all of People 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 People favor to eat their very own cheese relatively than imported varieties.

One other European cheese-loving nation, Austria ranks fourth on the earth for commerce worth per capita. Spending greater than $64 million on importing cheeses per 12 months, and with 41 Austrian cheese varieties to take pleasure in, together with bergkäse and alpenkäse, it’s clear that Austria is a nation desirous 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 12 months 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 ready to develop, having already grown by 44% within the final 5 years, as Mintel forecasts UK cheese gross sales to achieve £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 a fantastic many native cheeses – 261 in complete. With 70% of British customers buying cheddar, and an extra 36% buying regional British cheeses, plainly cheese lovers within the UK favor to eat cheeses from the UK than to import.

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

Switzerland is particularly prolific in importing cheese, rating third highest on the earth for commerce worth per capita; falling simply behind the Netherlands and Belgium. This may be barely shocking contemplating Swiss cheese is a globally well-known selection, however with 32 styles of cheese coming from Switzerland, they’re comparatively low by way of in-house manufacturing. Regardless of Swiss cheese being a beloved selection, it appears Swiss customers favor to import extra unique cheeses from different nations.

With cheese consumption significantly 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 last slot in our cheese-loving listing, Finland spends probably 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 by way of common spend.

Nevertheless, 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 per thirty days, 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 largest cheese lovers total – however which nations spend probably the most on importing their favorite dairy merchandise? Let’s dive into the UN Comtrade information to analyse which international locations are importing probably the most cheese.

France is the largest importer of cheese on the earth, spending a complete of $374 million on cheese annually. With a small inhabitants and loads of native cheeses, this can be a staggering quantity. This speaks to a rising development in France of consuming cheese as an economical different to meat, with almost half of French customers doing so.

Not showing in Mintel’s total listing of High 10 Cheesiest Nations, Germany is actually the second largest importer of cheeses on the earth. Germany spends $294 million on cheese imports per 12 months.

With solely 11 styles 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 12 months.

The cheesiest nation on the earth, the Netherlands imports an entire lot of cheese – totalling a spend of $259 million per 12 months.

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

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

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 12 months.

The second cheesiest nation on the earth is third by way of imports by weight, bringing in 52 million kilograms of cheese per 12 months.

Germany secures its spot as an enormous importer of cheese, in weight in addition to commerce worth,  importing 45 million kilograms of cheese per 12 months. 

With such a big inhabitants, it’s no shock that whilst a comparatively non-cheesy nation, China nonetheless imports 33 million kilograms of cheese per 12 months.

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 probably the most, utilizing Google Advertisements Search information. 

With a big inhabitants of cheese lovers, and rating fourth on our High 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 shouldn’t be one of many world’s cheesiest nations, paneer cheese is a staple of many Indian diets as a supply of protein and a substitute for meat in meals. This could possibly be why Indians search cheese-related queries 175,000 instances per thirty days.

Though Japan ranks low on the listing of cheesiest international locations on the earth, at twenty ninth, they seek for cheese 110,000 instances per thirty days, putting them above the UK in cheese-related search queries.

One of many greatest customers and producers of cheese on the earth, the folks of the UK are additionally fascinated with looking out on-line for cheese! 90,500 instances per thirty days, to be actual.

With the identical month-to-month search quantity because the UK, however a bigger inhabitants, France is available in at fifth, by way of the international locations mostly trying to find cheese on-line.

Once more trying to find cheese-related queries 90,500 instances per thirty days, however with a a lot bigger inhabitants, Brazil ranks simply behind the UK and France in search complete.

So as to decide the world’s greatest 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 most recent UN Comtrade information on imports of Cheese and Curd for every of those international locations. We took information on Commerce Worth and Internet Imports (kg).

We then wished to search out out which nation searches for ‘cheese’ probably 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 information from the World Financial institution to get the most recent inhabitants figures for every nation.